{"id":81609,"date":"2023-09-13T23:58:23","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T23:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalroadtechnology.com\/\/?p=81609"},"modified":"2023-09-13T23:58:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T23:58:23","slug":"dust-risk-at-newcrest-cadia-deemed-low","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalroadtechnology.com\/dust-risk-at-newcrest-cadia-deemed-low\/","title":{"rendered":"Dust Risk at Newcrest Cadia Deemed \u2018Low\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a dust-up arose around Newcrest\u2019s Cadia mine in NSW earlier this year, an independent review has deemed the mine\u2019s emissions are <\/span>within<\/b> safety guidelines.<\/span><\/p>\n

After conducting a months-long investigation into vent dust levels at Cadia, the NSW EPA has been presented with a report \u2013 commissioned by Newcrest \u2013 and run by SAGE Environmental Services. <\/span>The Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA), now publicly available, assessed the potential threat to human health in areas surrounding Cadia from January 2022 to February 2023.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the report: “potential risks to human health from emissions from CVO is low and acceptable”.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cadia Valley Operations were found to be non-compliant by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) earlier this year. <\/span>The report also assessed environmental sample data collected from residential drinking water.\u00a0<\/span>And it\u2019s here that things get a bit murky.<\/span><\/p>\n

The report has shown that lead, matching the signature of Cadia, is present in the rainwater tanks of Orange district residents. <\/span>After initially claiming otherwise and that there was no way to prove the lead was from the mine, Newcrest is now dealing with the fallout. <\/span>So-called \u201clead fingerprinting\u201d allows lead to be tracked to its original source using isotopic signatures, and <\/span>40% of tank sludge<\/b> samples collected by Newcrest belonged to Cadia. <\/span>The EPA is now \u201creviewing\u201d the Independent Health Risk Assessment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Could Deep Sea Mining Save the World?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While immediately conjuring up the vision of ecological disaster, deep-sea mining could be the least damaging way to provide the world with Critical Minerals. <\/span>We need an array of rare and essential earths, and as wealthy Western nations look to electrify their grids in record time, supplies are running low. <\/span>Nickel is a metal where demand wins the battle with supply, and our dwindling resources are increasingly damaging to mine.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world will need <\/span>6.3M tonnes<\/b> of nickel yearly by 2040. <\/span>That\u2019s about double what we sourced in 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, deep underneath the Pacific Ocean, a patch of earth could hold a solution. <\/span>The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) is peppered with fist-sized nuggets of nickel, cobalt, manganese and copper.<\/span><\/p>\n

These undersea \u201cnodules\u201d collectively hold <\/span>340M tonnes<\/b> of nickel alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the experts, getting at the nodules may be less harmful than the regular chemical leaching process undertaken on land. <\/span>With undersea minerals also richer, extracting it will require less energy and produce 40% less greenhouse gases in the process. <\/span>While it’s unlikely to replace grounded nickel mining completely, the rise of Electric Vehicles and battery technology may mean a trip to the deep to get what we need.<\/span><\/p>\n

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NSW Looks to a High-Tech Metals Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The NSW government has unveiled its pathway towards \u200b\u200ba Critical Minerals and High-Tech Metals strategy. <\/span>The defined plan hopes to establish industry certainty, shoring up domestic manufacturing, skills and training opportunities. <\/span>NSW has a wealth of critical minerals and high-tech metals, possessing 17 of the 26 nationally identified elements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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According to the release, the Strategy will explore new opportunities, including to:<\/b><\/p>\n