ENERGYSPONSORED POSTVisualizing the New Era of Energy WRITTEN BY Govind Bhutada GRAPHICS & DESIGN Pernia Jamshed Published August 12, 2022 • Updated August 24, 2022 • 0 Comments Tweet Share Share Reddit Email The history of US energy independence The new era of energy Powering an energy-independent future The following content is sponsored by Surge Battery Metals new era of energy The New Era of Energy Energy is the pulse of our daily lives, powering everything from our homes to our cars and electronic gadgets. Over the last two decades, there’s been an ongoing shift in how we produce and consume energy, largely due to rising climate awareness among both governments and consumers. The above infographic from Surge Battery Metals highlights the increasing uptake of clean energy technologies and explains the need for the raw materials that power them. This is part two of three infographics in the Energy Independence Series. The Growth of Clean Energy Government policies, falling production costs, and climate consciousness have all contributed to the exponential adoption of green energy technologies. For example, only a few countries were actively encouraging EV adoption a decade ago, but today, millions of consumers can take advantage of EV tax concessions and purchase subsidies with governments committed to phasing out internal combustion engines. Partly as a result, electric vehicles (EVs) are well on their way to mainstream adoption. Here’s a look at how the number of electric cars on the road has grown since 2011, including both battery EVs and plug-in hybrids: Country/Region 2011 Electric Car Stock 2021 Electric Car Stock China 10,000 7,800,000 Europe 20,000 5,500,000 U.S. 20,000 2,000,000 Other 20,000 1,100,000 Total 70,000 16,400,000 In 2021, the global electric car stock stood at around 16.4 million cars, up by around 60% from 2020. EV sales also more than doubled to reach 6.8 million units. Alongside electric cars, renewable energy technologies are also on the road to dominating the global energy mix. In 2021, renewables accounted for 16% of global energy consumption—up from just 8% in 2000. This growth is largely down to solar and wind energy, which made up the majority of new renewable capacity additions: Year Net Renewable Capacity Additions (gigawatts) Solar PV % Share Wind % Share 2011 109.4 28% 36% 2012 116.4 25% 40% 2013 122.9 30% 27% 2014 135.1 30% 37% 2015 159.7 31% 42% 2016 171.3 44% 30% 2017 174.8 55% 27% 2018 179.3 54% 28% 2019 193.8 56% 31% 2020 280.2 48% 40% 2021 288.9 54% 31% Every year since 2018, solar and wind have accounted for more than 80% of new renewable capacity additions, contributing to the record-breaking growth of clean energy. Despite this growth, the IEA projects that both EVs and renewables need to expand their reach significantly if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Electric car sales need to hit 56 million units by 2030—more than eight times the 6.6 million cars sold in 2021. Similarly, solar PV and wind additions need to quadruple by 2030 from 2021 levels. This new era of clean energy will require an increase in the supply of EVs, solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries, which translates into more demand for the unnoticed raw materials behind these technologies. The Metals Behind Clean Energy From copper in cables to lithium in batteries, some metals are key to building and growing clean energy capacity. In fact, for every megawatt of capacity, solar photovoltaic farms use more than 2,800 kg of copper according to the IEA. Offshore wind farms, which are connected to land by massive undersea cables, use even more copper at 8,000 kg per megawatt. Similarly, electric cars use lithium-ion batteries, which are composed of a variety of minerals, including graphite, copper, nickel, and lithium. While the demand for these clean energy minerals is skyrocketing, their supply remains a concern, with China dominating the supply chains. In the new era of energy, domestic supplies of these materials will be key to ensuring energy independence and lower reliance on foreign imports. In the next part of the Energy Independence Series sponsored by Surge Battery Metals, we will explore how the U.S. can build an Energy-Independent Future by developing domestic raw material and battery supply chains.

MININGMapped: The 10 Largest Gold Mines in the World, by ProductionPublished 5 months ago on May 19, 2022
By Niccolo Conte
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Map of the 10 largest gold mines in the world

The 10 Largest Gold Mines in the World, by Production
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Gold mining is a global business, with hundreds of mining companies digging for the precious metal in dozens of countries.

But where exactly are the largest gold mines in the world?

The above infographic uses data compiled from S&P Global Market Intelligence and company reports to map the top 10 gold-producing mines in 2021.

Editor’s Note: The article uses publicly available global production data from the World Gold Council to calculate the production share of each mine. The percentages slightly differ from those calculated by S&P.

The Top Gold Mines in 2021
The 10 largest gold mines are located across nine different countries in North America, Oceania, Africa, and Asia.

Together, they accounted for around 13 million ounces or 12% of global gold production in 2021.

Rank Mine Location Production (ounces) % of global production
#1 Nevada Gold Mines 🇺🇸 U.S. 3,311,000 2.9%
#2 Muruntau 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan 2,990,020 2.6%
#3 Grasberg 🇮🇩 Indonesia 1,370,000 1.2%
#4 Olimpiada 🇷🇺 Russia 1,184,068 1.0%
#5 Pueblo Viejo 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic 814,000 0.7%
#6 Kibali 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo 812,000 0.7%
#7 Cadia 🇦🇺 Australia 764,895 0.7%
#8 Lihir 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea 737,082 0.6%
#9 Canadian Malartic 🇨🇦 Canada 714,784 0.6%
#10 Boddington 🇦🇺 Australia 696,000 0.6%
N/A Total N/A 13,393,849 11.7%
Share of global gold production is based on 3,561 tonnes (114.5 million troy ounces) of 2021 production as per the World Gold Council.

In 2019, the world’s two largest gold miners—Barrick Gold and Newmont Corporation—announced a historic joint venture combining their operations in Nevada. The resulting joint corporation, Nevada Gold Mines, is now the world’s largest gold mining complex with six mines churning out over 3.3 million ounces annually.

Uzbekistan’s state-owned Muruntau mine, one of the world’s deepest open-pit operations, produced just under 3 million ounces, making it the second-largest gold mine. Muruntau represents over 80% of Uzbekistan’s overall gold production.

Only two other mines—Grasberg and Olimpiada—produced more than 1 million ounces of gold in 2021. Grasberg is not only the third-largest gold mine but also one of the largest copper mines in the world. Olimpiada, owned by Russian gold mining giant Polyus, holds around 26 million ounces of gold reserves.

Polyus was also recently crowned the biggest miner in terms of gold reserves globally, holding over 104 million ounces of proven and probable gold between all deposits.

How Profitable is Gold Mining?
The price of gold is up by around 50% since 2016, and it’s hovering near the all-time high of $2,000/oz.

That’s good news for gold miners, who achieved record-high profit margins in 2020. For every ounce of gold produced in 2020, gold miners pocketed $828 on average, significantly higher than the previous high of $666/oz set in 2011.

With inflation rates hitting decade-highs in several countries, gold mining could be a sector to watch, especially given gold’s status as a traditional inflation hedge.