REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BAKU -- Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer of PT Vale Indonesia Tbk Bernardus Irmanto stressed the importance of sustainability in the mining industry. He said this during a discussion at the Indonesian Pavilion at COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Thursday (15/11/2024).
He believes companies need a reputation in long-term business. “For PT Vale, the options are only two, lead a sustainable practice or fall behind? There is no option not to take sustained action,” Bernardus said.
He explains how his company implements Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). According to him, the implementation of ESG is the core of PT Vale's strategy.
Bernardus said the mining industry was also facing issues about carbon emissions. According to Bernardus, they were lucky the company was built anticipating such a thing.
Since its inception, PT Vale Indonesia has started by building and operating the Larona Power Plant, Balambano Power Plant and Karebbe Power Plant. These three hydropower plants utilize the flow of the Larona River whose water is supplied from three lakes: Matano , Mahalona, and Towuti.
With a total installed capacity of 365 megawatts (MW) for energy supply to processing plants, the operations of the three power plants support PT Vale in reducing GHG emissions by more than 1 million tonnes of CO 2eq per year, when compared to coal-fired plants.
In addition to supporting operational needs, 10.7 MW of electricity generated by the power plant is also distributed through PLN to meet the electricity needs of East Luwu people. PT Vale's plant in Sorowako has the lowest carbon intensity. That's one piece of evidence PT Vale is doing clean energy-based nickel production. Refinements continue to be made.
“Now that we are building a roadmap, we will reduce carbon emissions by 33 percent by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions (NZE) by 2050,” Bernardus said.
On a similar occasion, he also discussed the efficiency approach taken by PT Vale which is part of its ongoing efforts. Advances in technology also help companies apply balance in operations.
Bernardus said PT Vale can collaborate with companies in different countries. They cooperate with companies of Japan, China, USA, Kanda, Germany. “So through collaboration, I think it's possible for us to have a net-zero emissions nickel processing operation from day one.”
Bernardus also alluded to PT Vale's commitment to rehabilitation, even outside the concession area. He pointed out that by the end of 2023, the company had already rehabilitated 2.5 times the area they opened for mining.
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