Fachartikel

In the field of radioactive waste disposal, a particularly wide range of mining activities has to be carried out using state-of-the-art technology and high safety standards. This is especially true when a broad range of objectives is persued under different site conditions, as is the case in Germany. If the focus is on waste with negligible heat generation, the Konrad ...

Currently, more than 30 countries throughout the world use nuclear energy to generate electricity. Almost all countries contemplate how to safely store and dispose of radioactive waste in the long term. Repositories for low- and intermediate-level waste of various designs have been in operation throughout the world for decades. In 2015, Finland was the first country, however, that obtained a ...

Schachtanlage Asse II is a former salt and potash mine that was taken over by the Federal Government when production came to an end in 1965. Between 1967 and 1978 low- and medium-level radioactive waste was placed there in underground storage chambers on behalf of the German Government. However, current information indicates that the long-term safety of this waste material will ...

Final disposal site mining is mainly characterised by the transfer of the responsibility for the disposal to the Disposal Fund. But apart from that, the energy companies remain responsible – without any option of being released from liability. This continuing responsibility is laid down in the German Continuing Liability Act (Nachhaftungsgesetz). Is there also a continuing liability for the mining ...

Alexander Shokhin (Figure 1) is President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), Moscow/Russia, the most important representatives of the Russian economy and counterpart of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). In an interview with the German-Russian Raw Materials Forum (DRRF), Freiberg/Germany, the former Minister of the Russian economy explains the measures taken by the Russian government to ...

The 2018/2019 apprentice competition is geared towards the young employees of the member companies of the Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Raw Materials and Chemical Industry (BG RCI), Heidelberg/Germany. In an individual challenge and a team challenge, participants demonstrated their knowledge and ability in occupational health and safety. The top participants competed in the national final from 26th to ...

Fluctuating commodity prices, high upfront investment costs, long development periods, the high variability due to the uniqueness of each deposit, and the imperfection and uncertainty of information about mineral reserves even after mining commences, have always been challenges for the mining industry. However, in addition to those inherent challenges, today’s new deposits have increasingly complex geological formations, are at greater ...

George Hemingway leads the Innovation Practice for Stratalis, a New York-based growth strategy consultancy dedicated to helping companies to become future-focused and to develop the foresight, flexibility and focus to win in uncertain markets. Through his Seven-Lenses technique, he helps companies to outperform others by facing the future in a focused and guided way. He specializes in helping the executive ...

Declining ore grades and increasing extraction costs have given a high priority to productivity in operational mines. However, improving productivity in an industry with decades long plans and budgets requires a certain level of agility. Boliden´s Aitik open pit copper mine in Northern Sweden has been through a long journey to reach the title of world’s most productive open pit ...

Using machine data and related software to identify unproductive downtimes, recognize foreseeable faults and errors or initiate suitable preventive measures, the challenges in mining remain unchanged. Many of these tasks can be mastered with the use of digitalization. However, digitalization has many dimensions that need to be considered in order to implement a holistic and target-oriented solution. This applies above ...