Centamin PLC (LSE:CEY, TSX:CEE, OTC:CELTF) published its sustainability report for the twelve months ended December 31 2021, with highlights including a solar power project at its flagship Sukari gold mine in Egypt.
The company said it expects to commission the 36 megawatt hybrid power project in the second half of this year and said that the project would cut the mine’s consumption of diesel fuel by some 20mln litres per year. Implementing solar power will cut the group’s carbon emissions by 15%.
This comes as Centamin initiates a decarbonisation strategy that will set ambitious science-based targets for carbon reduction by 2030, the company noted.
"2021 will be viewed as a transformational year for the company as we have sought to put in place strategies and plans that provide the foundation for our long-term success,” chief executive Martin Horgan said.
“Environmental, social and governance considerations have been placed at the centre of our decision making and planning as they are integral to our future.”
Horgan added: “In 2022, we will set out a climate change strategy that will set an ambitious science-based target for carbon reduction by 2030 and one that strives to align with a trajectory of emission reduction to net-zero by 2050.”
Centamin told investors that in 2021 it sustained zero reportable environmental and community incidents across the group and had no reported issues of regulatory non-compliance.
The miner also noted that an independent technical review had been conducted for its tailings storage facilities, confirming the operational and structural integrity of the facilities.
On the HR front, the Egypt-based miner highlighted that, in light of changes to the Egyptian regulatory framework that removed restrictions to the employment of women in the mining sector, it welcomed its first female employees at Sukari.
At the same time the company has continued the rollout of a professional development framework for all employees which has resulted in a 130% increase in total training hours to 27 per employee.
The company added that at Sukari, 70% of leadership roles are now held by Egyptian nationals, compared to 65% in the prior year.
Centamin said it has strong levels of local content, with 95% of the miner’s workforce employed locally whilst 60% Sukari’s procurement spend is with national suppliers.
Health and safety reporting comprised zero fatalities for the year whilst the LTIFR (‘lost time injury frequency rate’) and the TRIFR (‘total recordable injury frequency rate’) improved by 45% and 43% respectively.
COVID-19 protocols remain in place to ensure the continued management of the risks associated with the pandemic. The company continues to safeguard the workforce, local communities and secure the operations. More than 90% of Group employees are now vaccinated, it noted.