Assessment of electricity carbon footprint and mitigation measures practiced in Benguet, Philippines: The case of Padcal Mining Project

Elenita Racelis; Renato Lapitan; Diomedes Racelis

Elenita L. Racelis Training Center for Tropical Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna
Renato L. Lapitan Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna
Diomedes A. Racelis Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna

Keywords: CO2 e emission and reduction, energy-saving measures, LED lamps, Scope 2

Abstract

The study estimated the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions from purchased electricity (Scope 2) of a mining project. It also identified the impacts of mitigation measures adopted on the amount of power consumed, savings on the cost of operations, and equivalent carbon emissions reduced. It demonstrated that there are strategies that can enable environmentally critical projects like mining to contribute to climate change mitigation. The project sourced its electricity from a coal power plant to supply its three major load centers, namely, mining operations, mill operations, and other loads. CO2 emissions from electricity consumption were computed by multiplying the total electricity consumption with the emission factor of the power source. Using 2014 base data, the study found that the project has total electricity consumption of 279,897.85 MWh with an equivalent CO2 emission of 238,400.85t. The bulk of electricity was supplied to mill operations (69%) while mining operations and other loads got 26% and 5%, respectively. Milling operations registered the highest emissions of 165,2018.64 tCO2e followed by mine operations with 61,211.08 tCO2e and other loads with 11,971.13 tCO2e. To reduce its power consumption, the company implemented energy-saving measures which included power load shedding (PLS) and replacement of fluorescent with LED lamps similar to those used in industrial shops and offices. These schemes contributed a total annual reduction in power consumption amounting to 832.09 MWh equivalent to USD 117,417.77. This further resulted in 708.11 tCO2e removed from the project’s emissions in 2014, showing that the mining sector can also play an important role in climate change mitigation. In summary and as recommended, CO2 emissions from electricity consumption can be reduced through energy conservation and by tapping into a power source with a low emission factor.