Assessing the role of renewable energy in mitigating the impacts of declining ore grades in mining

Energy stands as one of the main constraints for the mining sector, with a focus on transitioning to green energy. Different scenarios have been created to evaluate the impact of integrating renewable energies into the mining industry. This analysis, based on exergy and projected until 2050, shows a significant increase in the final exergy costs. However, when the exergy cost is decoupled into primary energy, a notable reduction in non-renewable exergy is observed with the incorporation of renewable energies, preserving natural resources such as oil, coal, and natural gas. Additionally, it has been observed that the anticipated ore grade decline from 2050 of 75 % for Pb, 81 % for Zn, 55 % for Au, 82 % for Ni, and 87 % for Ag could be compensated in terms of non-renewable exergy costs if renewable electricity is fully integrated into the mining industry.