Environment
Environment & Climate Change
At Xanadu, we are committed to the sustainable discovery, definition and development of world class copper – gold deposits. This requires us to identify, assess and report our impact to the climate, which is one of the most significant challenges facing the world today.
We acknowledge the climate change science and support the Paris Agreement goals, and we recognise that the mining sector has a role to play in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
Xanadu recognises the need to identify and integrate climate change and energy use into our strategic planning as we manage our portfolio. We will work with our stakeholders including governments, investors, lenders, insurers, customers, suppliers, host communities and industry associations to develop strategies that contribute to a future low carbon economy in our operating countries.
At Xanadu, our Climate Change Policy outlines our objectives and actions to manage and mitigate against its impacts. Our objectives are to:
- Provide transparent reporting of our energy use and greenhouse gas emissions;
- Look for opportunities to reduce our climate change impact; and,
- Consider risks and opportunities from climate change as part of business decisions.
To learn more about our position on Climate Change, download Xanadu’s Climate Change Policy.
Case Studies
Xanadu is using the latest technology to design a more sustainable mine.
As part of our Development Studies for Kharmagtai, we are investigating use of technology to significantly reduce both Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from a future mining operation.
Reduction in future Scope 1 emissions is focused around two key technology areas. The first is the use of electric in-pit crush and convey technology to reduce use of diesel trucks and increase the pit depth to capture additional high grade material. The second is the use of advanced leaching technology, which has the potential to convert the top 20- 30 metres of weathered material from waste into productive ore, which will reduce haulage to waste stockpiles and significantly reduce waste stripping costs.
Reduction in future Scope 2 emissions is focused around technology to reduce the energy used to process material through the grinding circuit. Techniques being investigated include beneficiation, coarse particle separation and flotation, and ore sorting, As part of our ongoing Exploration, we are reducing our existing Scope 1 emission intensity per area of exploration. This is achieved by the use of multi-spectral core scanning technology and artificial intelligence to maximise the data we collect from each drill hole. This technology captures important information about geological, geotechnical and geometallurgical and other information, reducing the need to do duplicate drilling for each discipline, which has been a historic practice for mining companies. To accelerate this technology development, Xanadu partnered with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) in a Research & Development Agreement to collect and share data and analysis. As of May 2022, we have scanned over 100,000 metres of current and historic drill core from both Kharmagtai and Red Mountain into our database
Potable water in the Gobi Desert is a scarce resource.
All water use by both livestock herders and local communities comes from ground water. Xanadu understands this dependence on ground water and the challenges this can present.
Regular measurement is important in order to effectively manage this critical resource, and Xanadu has trained and employed local families to do this for the community. These measurements establish a baseline and measure changes in groundwater quality and levels to understand usage and determine when it is necessary to remediate or establish a new well.
During 2021, a total of 108 measurements were made by the families Xanadu employs.
