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Released November 15, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Projects related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) are on the rise across the Metals & Minerals Industry in North America--whether that's incorporating renewable sources of energy to power factories, mines and smelters, decarbonizing operations, or recycling metals and lithium-ion batteries.
"In the U.S. and Canada there is almost $31.4 billion worth of ESG-related projects in the Metals & Minerals Industry and $151 billion globally," said Joe Govreau, Industrial Info's vice president of research for Metals & Minerals. "The industry is one of the largest producers of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions, accounting for about 20% of all GHG emissions, so it is getting a lot of attention, especially in the mining, cement, smelting and steel manufacturing sectors."
Click on the image at right for a table outlining ESG-related project investment in the Metals & Minerals Industry.
"The easiest way for manufacturers to decarbonize is by switching to renewable energy. Electrification, recycling, carbon capture are the main technologies being employed," Govreau said.
Suncor Energy Incorporated (NYSE:SU) (Calgary, Alberta) is wrapping up a US$1 billion addition of a natural gas-fired cogeneration unit at its Fort McMurray oil sands base in Alberta. The project entails replacing three outdated coke-fired boilers with two gas-fired turbine generators. The new 800-megawatt (MW) unit, which is expected to start up by the end of the year, will reduce sulfur-dioxide emissions by 45%, emissions of oxides of nitrogen by 15% and particulate matter by 66%.
At oil sands operations, cogeneration units generate heat to extract bitumen while producing electricity and steam. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here to read a detailed project report.
Another project aimed at incorporating low-carbon energy to power operations is the addition of a renewable energy microgrid that will support Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.A) (Omaha, Nebraska) subsidiary Titanium Metals Corporation's (Warrensville Heights, Ohio) brownfield titanium melting plant at a former aluminum smelter in Ravenswood, West Virginia.
The onsite microgrid array will be powered by solar panels and provide 50 MW of battery energy storage capacity. Initially, the melting plant is expected to need about 18 MW of power to operate before ramping up to its full capacity of 106 MW by the end of 2027. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the reports on the microgrid and melting plant projects.
Meanwhile, Ash Grove Cement Company (Overland Park, Kansas), one of the largest cement producers in North America, is building out a low-carbon cement finish mill at its 1.1 million-ton-per-year cement plant in Durkee, Oregon, that could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 30%. Click here to read to read more information on the project, which is expected to wrap up next year.
In terms of recycling, Aurubis AG (Hamburg, Germany) is at work on an expansion project for a grassroot copper scrap recycling facility that is expected to begin processing scrap by the end of the year. The 380,000-square-foot plant will process up to 90,000 tons per year of scrap copper in the form of circuit boards, copper cable and other materials to produce 35,000 tons per year of blister copper.
The already-in-progress expansion will double processing capacity to 180,000 tons per year, resulting in 70,000 tons per year of blister copper. The expansion is expected to be completed in early 2026. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the reports on the grassroot construction and expansion.
At Industrial Info's 2025 North American Outlook presentation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in late October, Govreau pointed to the energy transition as one factor driving project investment in the Metals & Minerals Industry. For more information, see November 13, 2024, article - IIR Tracks $120 Billion in Likely North America Metals & Minerals Projects for 2025.
Subscribers can click here for all project reports mentioned in this article and here for related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
"In the U.S. and Canada there is almost $31.4 billion worth of ESG-related projects in the Metals & Minerals Industry and $151 billion globally," said Joe Govreau, Industrial Info's vice president of research for Metals & Minerals. "The industry is one of the largest producers of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions, accounting for about 20% of all GHG emissions, so it is getting a lot of attention, especially in the mining, cement, smelting and steel manufacturing sectors."
"The easiest way for manufacturers to decarbonize is by switching to renewable energy. Electrification, recycling, carbon capture are the main technologies being employed," Govreau said.
Suncor Energy Incorporated (NYSE:SU) (Calgary, Alberta) is wrapping up a US$1 billion addition of a natural gas-fired cogeneration unit at its Fort McMurray oil sands base in Alberta. The project entails replacing three outdated coke-fired boilers with two gas-fired turbine generators. The new 800-megawatt (MW) unit, which is expected to start up by the end of the year, will reduce sulfur-dioxide emissions by 45%, emissions of oxides of nitrogen by 15% and particulate matter by 66%.
At oil sands operations, cogeneration units generate heat to extract bitumen while producing electricity and steam. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here to read a detailed project report.
Another project aimed at incorporating low-carbon energy to power operations is the addition of a renewable energy microgrid that will support Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.A) (Omaha, Nebraska) subsidiary Titanium Metals Corporation's (Warrensville Heights, Ohio) brownfield titanium melting plant at a former aluminum smelter in Ravenswood, West Virginia.
The onsite microgrid array will be powered by solar panels and provide 50 MW of battery energy storage capacity. Initially, the melting plant is expected to need about 18 MW of power to operate before ramping up to its full capacity of 106 MW by the end of 2027. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the reports on the microgrid and melting plant projects.
Meanwhile, Ash Grove Cement Company (Overland Park, Kansas), one of the largest cement producers in North America, is building out a low-carbon cement finish mill at its 1.1 million-ton-per-year cement plant in Durkee, Oregon, that could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 30%. Click here to read to read more information on the project, which is expected to wrap up next year.
In terms of recycling, Aurubis AG (Hamburg, Germany) is at work on an expansion project for a grassroot copper scrap recycling facility that is expected to begin processing scrap by the end of the year. The 380,000-square-foot plant will process up to 90,000 tons per year of scrap copper in the form of circuit boards, copper cable and other materials to produce 35,000 tons per year of blister copper.
The already-in-progress expansion will double processing capacity to 180,000 tons per year, resulting in 70,000 tons per year of blister copper. The expansion is expected to be completed in early 2026. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the reports on the grassroot construction and expansion.
At Industrial Info's 2025 North American Outlook presentation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in late October, Govreau pointed to the energy transition as one factor driving project investment in the Metals & Minerals Industry. For more information, see November 13, 2024, article - IIR Tracks $120 Billion in Likely North America Metals & Minerals Projects for 2025.
Subscribers can click here for all project reports mentioned in this article and here for related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
