La Loma, September 23, 2022
Drummond Ltd. has strategies for mitigating the impacts of its operations, taking care of the environment and the health of its workers and communities, by preventing and controlling environmental emissions.
One of its most important initiatives at the mining operations in the Department of Cesar is using natural gas to generate electricity with its turbo generator. The energy this efficient plant generates is used to operate mining equipment that, under other circumstances, would produce greater greenhouse gas emissions, called GHG.
The company is also a leader in the use of biodiesel in its vehicles, with the goal of mitigating the effects of climate change. The plant-based biofuel is provided by the Biocosta group, a Colombian company that is an international palm oil trader and biodiesel producer with five extraction plants in Cesar and Magdalena.
This fuel is ULSD (Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel) quality grade, which is clean-burning and contains 97% less sulfur than low-sulfur diesel, less than 10 parts per million (ppm).
Also worth highlighting is the implementation of a fleet of natural gas tractor-trailers. This sustainable means of transportation, operated by contractor Consorcio DIA S.A., reduces CO2 emissions by 764.3 tons each year.
As a result of these initiatives, our figures for GHG emissions saw no significant increases from the year 2017 to the year 2021, despite the fact that increased coal production has meant increased use of fuels.
“We have an emissions inventory for assessing the amount of GHG generated by the mines each year. As can be seen in that inventory, published in our Sustainability Report, total emissions per year from 2017 to 2021 have not increased significantly, despite the increase in production and the startup this last year of a new project called El Corozo. This is due to the implementation of the company’s initiatives to prevent or reduce GHG emissions,” stated Alexander Contreras, senior supervisor of environmental monitoring.
Drummond Ltd. continues to confirm its commitment to environmentally sustainable and socially responsible mining, thus contributing toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.