Is hydrogen a potential solution to enable mining and metals companies to achieve ambitious decarbonisation objectives? From Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles to Green Explosives – Issue 39 of The Alchemist takes a dive into hydrogen’s potential role in decarbonising the mining and metals industry.
The Alchemist takes a closer look at hydrogen applications in the mining and metals industry, the status of technology developments and highlights key obstacles to their potential uptake.
Interest in hydrogen and the development of a green hydrogen economy is rapidly gaining momentum due to its potential to decarbonise many difficult to abate industrial processes and heavy transportation. Whilst the concept of a hydrogen economy has existed for decades, it is only recently that the substantial investments required to make the concept a reality have started to flow and investment has been turbocharged by government policies, regulation, and net zero ambitions.
The uptake of hydrogen technologies across the mining and metals industry is likely to be challenging as the more impactful technologies will require rework of existing assets and infrastructure. Despite this, hydrogen is well placed to tackle difficult‑to‑abate emissions and given the ambitious decarbonisation targets of the mining and metals industry, increasing external pressures and current abatement curves, we see the uptake of hydrogen in key areas inevitable if industry intends to meet those targets and satisfy their social obligations. For many hydrogen will be the key piece of the puzzle.
