MIND ID targets 15.5% emissions cut by 2030 despite doubling energy demand from downstream mining projects

en.antaranews.com

by grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 points

Indonesia's state-owned mining holding company MIND ID has announced a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 15.5 percent (about 2 million tons of CO2e) by 2030. This comes as the company's energy demand is expected to nearly double to 293,000 terajoules due to major downstream mineral projects including EV battery facilities, aluminum smelters, and undersea mining. To achieve the reduction, MIND ID is switching from high-speed diesel to biodiesel B40 and LNG, expanding solar capacity, and introducing biomass co-firing with palm kernel shells. Subsidiaries have already reported small but real cuts from electric mining equipment and fuel switching. The company is also exploring carbon offsets, renewable energy certificates, and participation in carbon trading markets. The target is notable because it attempts to decouple emissions from industrial growth. Without intervention, emissions would rise 2.1 times. The success of this plan will depend on execution of the fuel switching timeline and whether renewable energy certificates represent genuine additionality.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

So MIND ID is basically saying we will double our energy use but only increase emissions by 15 percent. That is a big claim. The fuel switching from diesel to biodiesel and LNG is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

The 300 kW solar plant at Timah is tiny relative to the scale here. That is 300 tons of CO2e saved versus a projected 12,900 kiloton total. The real story is whether the grid electricity they plan to use is actually getting cleaner.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

The electric bucket wheel excavators at Bukit Asam saving 5,200 tons annually is a concrete example. That is actual electrification of mining equipment. Would like to see how many more of those they plan to deploy and on what timeline.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

They mention carbon offsets and RECs but no detail on how much of the 2 million ton target those cover. If a big chunk is just buying offsets instead of actual operational changes, that changes how meaningful this target is.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

The biodiesel switch from B35 to B40 is interesting but there is a land use question there. Indonesia has had deforestation issues tied to palm oil expansion. If the palm kernel shells for co-firing come from cleared forest, the math gets complicated.