CEEC celebrates 10-year anniversary

The Coalition for Energy Efficient Comminution (CEEC) is celebrating 10 years of collaboration across industry to accelerate eco-efficient minerals. CEEC’s work is to help industry communicate, collaborate on and celebrate more eco-efficient approaches, with a focus on comminution — an area of high energy and cost consumption across mining.

Comminution is key to industry decarbonisation efforts, as highlighted in a recent independent report.

In 2011, a group of mining industry leaders recognised the need to tackle this shared industry challenge. A small volunteer-driven group assembled to form a roadmap to identify priority actions, and sponsors from across the mining industry funded CEEC’s growth to support the cause.

In CEEC’s 10 years, it has become an independent network and source of quality examples of eco-efficient minerals. CEEC has built a website with more than 700 free, quality demonstrated examples of improvement. It has funded and steered the development of free benchmarking tools, catalysed new partnerships, and shared best practice and advances to accelerate uptake of more eco-efficient approaches across global mine sites.

CEEC has delivered around 20 international events, and announced outstanding CEEC Medal-winning work showcasing improvements and advances with impact. The business case for alternative comminution and processing strategies and installed outcomes has been shared, inspiring and informing others to consider a wider range of options that can not only improve earnings and lower process costs, but also improve energy and water efficiencies and benefit communities at existing and future mine sites.

CEEC has now released a new series of video interviews with industry leaders and recipients of the 2020 CEEC Medal for Operations. Newmont Executive Vice President Dean Gehring leads the call to collaborate on shared industry challenges in CEEC’s first video interview. Noting why sharing knowledge is important for industry’s ESG actions, he talks about Newmont’s involvement in two CEEC Medal wins.

“For me, it’s quite clear that there are some things that are just too important not to collaborate on,” said Gehring, noting that working together can improve important industry challenges in safety, energy and water, and accelerate positive changes across industry and for the benefit of communities.

“The 2020 Medal recognises our contribution, but also raises the profile of this work to industry, and helps us all focus on practical solutions that in turn help the industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so it stands out as a beacon,” he added.

At the series launch, CEEC Founding Chair and Patron Elizabeth Lewis-Gray said: “CEEC is an absolutely unique organisation that has been established for the benefit of the mining industry and the related supply industry, for the benefit of the global community. What an amazing outcome. This not-for-profit organisation with good intentions has delivered ground-level outcomes for the mining industry.”

Founding Director Dr Zeljka Pokrajcic said CEEC’s achievements have only been possible because of the vision and dedication of CEEC’s founding chair, directors, global network and sponsors. She said the Medal winners are outstanding examples of new initiatives and achievements by industry that show what is possible when we collaborate and communicate.

“CEEC has shone a light on why comminution is important, shared some great case studies plus best practice innovations. We've been honoured to highlight the outstanding work of CEEC Medal winners,” she said.

One of CEEC's successful workshops in Adelaide.

As well as the 10-year milestone, CEEC also recognises longstanding champions and supporters behind its mission. The announcement was made at dual international events — the AusIMM Mill Operators hybrid conference in Brisbane, and Minerals Engineering International’s Sustainable Minerals online conference.

CEEC CEO Alison Keogh invited industry to actively share knowledge and collaborate by getting involved.

“Your ideas, sponsorship and leaders’ support are key — so join our mission and be an active part of next chapter,” she said at the Mill Operators conference. “Help grow our collective impact and lead exciting change across industry so that together, we can all strive towards more eco-efficient minerals for the future with success.”

She encouraged industry to take up the free resources, made possible by sponsors passionate to help lead positive change, including Gehring’s interview and other videos available here. She noted anyone can join CEEC’s network to receive updates on news, videos, articles and events, with future webinars to include active discussions on priority topics with impact.

She concluded: “The mining industry has a big challenge and exciting opportunities to become more energy efficient and decarbonise, as well as reduce water and tailings impacts. CEEC’s work over 10 years has brought practical ways to improve and exciting innovative technologies to lead change.”

Readers can contact CEEC here to join the movement by sponsoring its not-for-profit work or contributing examples of published solutions showing more energy- and water-efficient comminution and processing. Join the mailing list here for regular news, peer-reviewed articles and collaborative, informative events.

Top image: CEEC’s work helps industry communicate, collaborate on and celebrate more eco-efficient approaches, with a focus on comminution — an area of high energy and cost consumption.