Facing increasing pressure from customers, some miners are switching to renewable energy

By VICTORIA MILKO and DITA ALANGKARA
Associated Press

SOROWAKO, Indonesia (AP) — Demand for critical minerals like nickel and cobalt is surging as climate change hastens a transition to renewable energy, boosting carbon emissions by miners and processors of such materials. Some mining companies are moving to phase out use of fossil fuels in extracting and refining, partly due to pressure from downstream customers that want more sustainable supply chains. Experts say improved technology, pressure from customers and clean energy policies all are needed to keep moving toward more sustainable mining and refining practices while raising output to support the move away from polluting fossil fuels. A smelter in Indonesia run by global mining firm Vale is mainly powered by electricity from three dams.