Minmetals Resources Limited 2011 Sustainability Report (PDF)

Our approachWe aim to minimise our environmental footprint andequip our people with environmental standards toeffectively manage the environmental aspects ofour operations.Our key environmental priorities are water management,including security, wastewater and tailings; closure/rehabilitation; biodiversity; energy and greenhouseemissions; air quality; product stewardship; waste rock;and managing hazardous substances to avoid adverseenvironmental impacts. These priorities are managed Donationsthrough an environmental management system thatincludes performance standards, consultation, assuranceand reporting.Capacity buildingCompensationPerformanceSecurity of water supply is critical to maintainingoperations, in particular in dry climates. Further, communitiesaround mine sites may also be affected by mine use anddischarge of water. Balancing the challenges of extremelydry Capacity environments, building compared with wet climates, requiresdifferentCompensationapproaches to water management dependentDonationsonSponsorshipssite location.Water Education use and and training supplyLocal business development initiativesDifferent Community water development challenges initiatives are experienced by each ofour operations and projects. While a number of sitesneed to manage excess water from tropical rainfalls,our Golden Grove operation is situated in an arid regionof Australia where water is drawn from bore sources.We acknowledge the general importance of water accessmanagement across the mining sector and as we growand acquire or develop operations in different countries,we expect this to become more of a challenge for us.Wastewater and tailings managementMining creates wastewater and mineral waste residues,typically stored in tailings storage facilities. Heavy metalsWASTEand other 343 contaminant levels are carefully WATER monitored474and proactively managed through wastewater treatment5475controls and retention strategies to avoid wastewaterPRECIPITATIONAQUIFERdischarge issues.AND RUNOFF328046636The efficient use of water and the management ofwastewater discharges are evolving issues for which2516we are developing a water management strategy anddetailed 3198 water management plans for each operation.In 2011, we commenced work on a functional waterbalance model for all operations to understand storage,usage and treatment requirements. In addition, watermeters that enable accurate data collection on waterusage, reuse and discharges are being installed at ouroperations. To enable benchmarking with our miningindustry peers, we are pursuing water reporting in linewith the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) WaterAccounting Framework (WAF).ENTRAINMENTBORE FIELDSINTERCEPTIONEXTERNAL SURFACEWATER STORAGESRIVERS AND CREEKSOur existing water management standard was reviewedand updated in 2011 and will be finalised andimplemented at all sites in 2012.The water data presented here are aligned with the newMCA WAF. As such, they cannot be directly comparedwith 2010 data.Water inputs shown include all water managed by thesite, including water extracted for use and managedwater from other sources entering the site, such as rain,run-off, groundwater and river or creek water.2011 MMG water inputsIn 2011, a total of 53,446 megalitres of water was managedby MMG mine operations, of which 34,477 megalitrescame from rain and run-off. Due to high rainfall, Centurymanaged 30,639 megalitres of water in 2011. Of the totalwater managed, approximately 65% was derived fromprecipitation and run-off from rainwater. Both Centuryand Sepon are located in tropical climates and Roseberyis located in one of the highest rainfall areas in Australia.SponsorshipsEducation and trainingLocal business development initiativesCommunity development initiativesTOTAL water INPUTS managed BY SOURCE 2011 (ML)ENTRAINMENT343BORE FIELDS5,514AQUIFERINTERCEPTION6,923EXTERNAL SURFACEWATER STORAGES2,516TOTAL water INPUTS managed BY SITE 2011 (ML)ROSEBERY9,507SEPON10,088GOLDEN GROVE2,523WASTEWATER474PRECIPITATIONAND RUNOFF34,477RIVERSANDCREEKS3,198SOUTHHERCULES690CENTURY30,639DUGALD RIVER4%SEPON41%SUSTAINING OUR ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE RESPECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT WORKING WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS HEALTH AND SAFETY OUR PEOPLEMELBOURNEHEAD OFFICE4%53