In November 2023, New Afton completed a self-assessment of Towards Sustainable Mining’s (TSM) Climate Change Protocol, achieving a AAA rating for the Facility Climate Change Management indicators of the Climate Change Protocol. This result speaks to the tireless work done by our energy team in energy and emissions management.
Over the past 10 years, New Afton utilized ISO 50001 as its primary tool for the integration of Strategic Energy Management into the systems and culture at the mine. Moving forward into 2024, New Afton will maintain internal compliance with our established ISO 50001-based standard operating procedures but no longer certify externally, instead refocusing on TSM’s Climate Change Protocol which is a more holistic and diverse approach in environmental stewardship.
In 2023, New Afton set objectives of reducing both energy consumption by 1,650 MWh and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions by 810 TCO2, but exceeded these targets by 77%, and by 495%, respectively. Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) haul trucks were the largest contributor to achieving those targets, followed by the Thickened and Amended Tailings process and various small energy conservation projects (5%).
New Afton utilized four Sandvik Z50 BEVs for underground ore haulage, representing 25% of the total underground fleet. As per previous study BEV haul trucks consume one fourth of the energy as compared to their diesel counterparts, and as zero-emission vehicles powered by green-grid electricity, the BEVs were the leading contributor for New Afton’s Energy and GHG reduction. Also in 2023, major energy campaigns on site engaged large numbers of employees who participated in ‘Car Pool’, ‘Bike to Work’, and ‘Identifying Compressed Air Leaks,’ showing our employees’ awareness of Energy Management at New Gold.
