Committed to delivering sustainable mining
In this interview, María de Lourdes Bahia, AtkinsRéalis Vice President of Minerals & Metals LATAM, shares how this world-leading professional services and project management company offers integrated engineering services and contributes to the ESG challenges of the mining industry.
1. Which services are now in highest demand from AtkinsRéalis in Latin America?
The services for which there is the highest demand, representing great growth areas, are our sustainability services and our Pit-to-Port business model. We are committed to delivering sustainable mining and metals refining solutions that can achieve Net Zero outcomes, provide economic and ESG value to our clients, and ultimately create a better future for our planet. We partner with our clients at every stage of the mining project lifecycle, from viability studies to project execution, inclusive of start-up and commissioning, and optimization of existing operations.
2. Can you elaborate on the Pit-to-Port Solution?
Mining and metals projects are complex, often involving the mining of the ore, processing the ore and/or refining the metal, and transporting the ore or final metal to the port for export. This complexity requires the segmentation of the project into different subprojects and facets, invariably creating scope and interface gaps, which increase the project risk profile. AtkinsRéalis understands all facets of a mining and metals project and provides an Integrated “Pit-to-Port” project implementation offering, by providing the overall project engineering, procurement, and construction oversight required to negate the scope and interface gaps. Our global team provides a customized engineering, procurement, and construction approach to every major project facet and associated project support services and infrastructure, including tailings and water management, environmental and remediation management, community engagement and local resource development, power generation and transmission, etc.
3. How is AtkinsRéalis incorporating sustainability and decarbonization into its service offering?
We seek to ensure compliance with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by managing activities throughout the project lifecycle to negate, reduce, and mitigate negative risks and impacts, and to maximize positive effects. Our sustainability services are underpinned by compliance with the SDGs' environmental and social governance guidelines and by an engineering service offering focused on mineral ore processing optimization, integrated tailings management, responsible management of water resources and natural materials, provision of sustainable and resilient infrastructure, and inclusion of comprehensive decarbonization and Net Zero strategies and designs.
4. How does AtkinsRéalis in Latin America collaborate with other global regions?
Our global minerals & metals team has more than 3,000 dedicated and talented professionals in North and South America, servicing projects worldwide by leveraging expertise from this diverse global workforce. With over 40,000 AtkinsRéalis employees across six continents, we are committed to bringing innovation and sustainability to our clients, delivering sustainability-focused services, technologies, and solutions for projects of all sizes, scopes, and complexities.