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DIGGeRs & DeALeRs ReVIeW

Renewing the energy debate

ydrogen as a source of energy for the Hackett was speaking at the tradi- port stated.
Hfuture continues to be embraced and tional Gold Industry Group and Deloitte On that premise, it was pertinent to
accepted within the broader community. breakfast at Diggers & Dealers which ad- have Pilbara Minerals participating in the
However, Northern Star Resources Ltd dressed decarbonisation and the action discussion given its connectedness to
non-executive director Mary Hackett said mining companies were taking in contrib- the global battery business and its place
it was prudent to remember that the new uting to a low carbon world. as a mid-market player in Australia’s re-
wave of alternate energy options would Joining Hackett in the discussion was sources sector.
take time to mature. Pilbara Minerals Ltd chief operating of- It has been a challenging 24 months for
“We have such a long way to go and ficer Dale Henderson, IGO Ltd head of Pilbara since it started production from
writing off any industry today is really corporate affairs and company secretary the Pilgangoora lithium-tantalum project
dangerous but taking ourselves on that Joanne McDonald and Deloitte director in WA’s Pilbara region with the lithium
journey is really important. How do we of sustainability and climate change ser- market softening during that period.
take this massive scale, LNG export in- vices Michael Wood. Ensuring an operation in its infancy is
dustry to hydrogen into the future? I can West Australian mining leader for performing at optimal level, while fulfill-
tell you the answer is not that clear and is Deloitte Nicki Ivory moderated the ses- ing wider obligations now demanded by
probably one of the most difficult energy sion, which was hosted shortly after the investors and customers has been a bal-
equations that we face into the future,” release of Deloitte’s The next great eco- ancing act for Pilbara.
Hackett said. nomic opportunity for WA: Transitioning “We’re very much young and just in our
“But we need to start making that jour- to low-carbon mining report. second year of operation. We have debt
ney today. Gas is a really important stor- “Climate change is already impact- on the balance sheet and there has been
age mechanism and having our public ing the mining and metals sector across pricing pressure for the past two years.
understand it is a really important fuel for companies of all sizes, regions and com- I mention that as an important backdrop
at least maybe 20-30 years, then we ac- modities. 2020 has seen this shift with as that speaks to the challenges. The
tually have a very clear pathway in Aus- climate change not only impacting global battery business is a big deal and cus-
tralia.” miners but also the mid-market,” the re- tomers want clean product, they want to

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