The Mining Association of Canada | The Canadian Mining Story: Economic Impacts and Drivers for the Global Energy Transition 2023 58 application of hydrogen in the mining sector for power generation and mobile propulsion, the potential for expanded use of carbon capture utilization and storage technologies, and efforts to create next generation mineral processing efficiencies, amongst others. To support progress in these areas, MAC liaises with the Clean Resources Innovation Network, the Canadian Oil Sands Innovation Alliance, the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation, COREM and the Canadian Mining Innovation Council. Recent and ongoing supports to these organizations are both appreciated and critical to supporting decarbonization, performance and broader environmental objectives. Without a sustainable and innovative critical mineral and metal manufacturing supply chain, Canada’s competitiveness as a destination for advanced technology manufacturing is significantly diminished. The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy is an excellent step in this direction. Identifying and supporting value chains for critical minerals is a key to remaining competitive for the next decades. Adaptation to Climate Change Adaptation to a changing climate is needed across all sectors of society, frommunicipal infrastructure, to transportation, to agriculture and forestry. Mining is no different, and it is important that there be solutions tailored to both the environments in which mines operate and the infrastructure on which mining depends. MAC’s new Guide to Climate Change Adaptation for the Mining Sector provides best practice guidance for the mining industry to assess potential future climate changes at mine sites, assess potential impacts of those changes on mine operations and infrastructure, and develop plans to implement appropriate adaptation measures. The mining industry will require technologies that support cleaner transportation, power generation, and material processing and manufacturing. These emerging technologies will help to create a lower carbon future for the minerals sector. Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) have the potential to provide non-emitting energy for a wide range of applications, from grid-scale electricity generation to use in heavy industries. The opportunity to significantly displace or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from carbon intensive electricity grids in Alberta and Saskatchewan presents a massive opportunity to improve the carbon competitiveness of the production of oil, uranium, potash and other commodities. Off-grid SMRs could eliminate diesel reliance in remote regions, allowing for net-neutral off-grid operations. In 2018, the federal government released its SMR Roadmap, and Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunswick have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in the advancement of SMRs. While the opportunity is great, work remains to be done to pilot and enhance SMR technologies and create the social license and trust required for success. MAC believes
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