Sustainability

The Future of Mining

 
Recently, our team traveled to Europe for an exciting and innovative project at a mine two miles south of Whitby, in the UK’s North York Moors National Park. At RCC, we’re fully committed to sustainable development, and we believe in the importance of combining innovation and mining processes for a more sustainable future. That’s why we think this project is an important step in the future of mining.
 
 
 
The mine will produce polyhalite fertilizer, a naturally occurring mineral containing potassium, sulfur, magnesium, and calcium—four of the six key nutrients required for plant growth. This new and innovative product, the mineral polyhalite, is sold as a natural, low carbon, environmentally friendly fertilizer. It will not only help set new standards for sustainable mining by boosting production, but it will also benefit people worldwide by facilitating more sustainable farming practices.
 
The whole design philosophy of the project is to minimize the environmental impact as much as possible, both in construction and operations. All major infrastructure will be below ground level so that when the mine is completed, no mining equipment will be visible. Governing issues such as noise, air quality, traffic and light pollution, and carbon emissions will be offset by planting 7,000 hectares of trees.
Our Vice President of Major Projects, Tim McKay, oversees this project and gave us his personal opinion: “I consider this project in the UK a perfect opportunity for me to learn how the English conduct business on a mega-mining project. It is essential to always act with integrity and professionalism for RCC in every project. I thoroughly enjoy working in the Commissioning & Operational Readiness team and developing the autonomous mine of the future.”