We're here to talk about mining and sustainability. Michael, first of all, can you tell us a bit about the company you founded and what you're hoping to mine exactly?
“Norge Mining was established in late 2018. Our aim was always to be a sustainable mine. We have SDG, ESG in our DNA if you will. As for what we found in the ground, it’s all minerals and metals, three of which are branded ‘critical’ because they are important and vital for the green transition.”
What are these three critical minerals?
“First, we found magmatic igneous phosphate rock, which contains a lot of phosphate. What comes along with phosphate is vanadium and titanium, plus iron. Those first three minerals are critical.”
What are they used for exactly?
“Phosphate is important for the fertilizer industry. Fertilizer equals food security for the world. I'll give you one little number, if tomorrow we stop producing fertilizers, only 40% of the population would have enough food, so that really shows you how important phosphate is for the planet. Out of phosphate, you also produce phosphorus, and phosphorus is a component which you use in car batteries. You also use it in semiconductors, microchips, and solar panels – all vital elements for the green transition.”
“Titanium is used in the airspace industry, and also some components in batteries are made of titanium. Vanadium you use in rebar steel for construction. Vanadium also becomes more and more important for large storage batteries, those are called redox flow batteries. They are used for the storage of renewable energy - solar and wind power. There is no green transition without batteries, and there are no batteries without the ingredients in the batteries.”
So these minerals are vital for the energy transition in various ways, as you've explained. But what about the sustainability of the mining process itself?
“Everything you can see around you was, or used to be a raw material. So, mining matters for the green transition. If you want to have impact and leverage on climate and environment, you have to make sure mining is done in the proper way, mindful and sustainable. There you have the leverage, and there you can influence the whole value chain, including the product, and that is actually what we are doing at Norge Mining."
“If for example, you mine in a place like Norway, you have a very high minimum standard of sustainability that you have to follow. We have to ask what kind of energy do we use to power all the vehicles? For instance, in Norway, practically 100% is powered by renewable energy, of which 90% is hydropower, and 10% windpower."
“The second thing is, how do you deal with the waste rock? At our site, we are quite lucky because we don't need to use any chemicals because of the geology. We don't need to remove any impurities with chemicals, so the process of removing the minerals from the mother stone is quite simple. It's a mechanical, grinding of the stone that gives you sand, and then with water floating and magnetic power, you can separate them so you don't need any chemicals in the separation process. That’s important because it means that the waste rock – or tailings - can be reused. For example, the waste rock can help places like the Netherlands, Denmark or Scotland to tackle raising sea levels and reinforce coastal lines."
“Then you have to think about transportation at the site. For instance, you can use battery driven vehicles or even hydrogen powered vehicles. There are various ways to do sustainable mining, and companies can get a lot of support from governments which means it is not much more expensive to do it in a sustainable way."
"Everything you see around you was, or used to be a raw material. So mining matters for the green transition." - Michael Wurmser, Norge Mining
What about support from industry and technology? What kind of support are you looking for from ABB?
“The most valuable support we can get from industrial players who want to partner with us is knowledge, the latest technology knowledge. ABB is an amazing example. ABB has the latest technology knowledge on how to electrify or digitalize industrial compounds or how to connect them in the mining, which is crucial."
“If you have mining activities, you have beneficiation activities and you have to make sure the powering of those entities is done in the most efficient way. If you are efficient with a technology solution that ABB could supply, then you also save a lot of energy which you can use for other applications. With technology, it’s possible to digitalize a site so that theoretically, you could manage the whole entity from another country. You can be extremely efficient, and that is also an important part of being sustainable."
When do you expect to be producing from the site in Norway?
“We are now in a phase called the pre-feasibility phase. We will complete the feasibility phase this year. Then we go into the feasibility stage, which will take a year. After that, the construction will start and that takes about two and a half years. Production is foreseen around 2028."
As a founder of a company like this, how do you encourage others to take this kind of journey towards Real Progress in sustainability using the technology that's out there?
“Walk the talk. If you say you want to be sustainable, then do it. Look around and see what kind of technologies there are. Support those industries at the beginning of the value chain and think vertical. Verticalization has a big advantage. First of all, it's extremely efficient, it gives you a certain degree of autonomy, but it also has a major impact on sustainability, because you save a lot of transportation waste and save a lot of CO2."
To what extent do you think technology and technological innovation is driving sustainability?
“Technology and digitalization is extremely important because it helps us to become more efficient. We use less energy for certain processes. If you use less energy, you can use it at different places and for other applications. That is how I think a company like ABB can contribute a lot. ABB is a typical company that walks the talk. They go for full technology, the latest technology, digitalize the world, basically. That is one of the important examples that industries should also follow.”
Michael Wurmser is the founder of Norge Mining.
