Latest news with #AlexPhillips
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE UK-EU reset deal: Globalist Keir Starmer is pushing Britain back into the European Union by stealth, former Brexit party MEP Alex Phillips tells the Mail's 'Apocalypse Now?' podcast
Keir Starmer 's 'rushed' reset deal with the European Union represents a first step in Labour 's plan to push the UK back into trading bloc 'by stealth', former Brexit party MEP Alex Phillips has told the Mail's 'Apocalypse Now?' podcast. The broadcaster said our 'globalist' Prime Minister had 'fallen at the first hurdle' in negotiations with Brussels, awarding too many concessions for 'not much in return'. Starmer's wide ranging UK-EU reset deal was announced on Monday and included new agreements with Europe over trade, defence and travel. The UK had to concede ground on fishing and youth mobility, in exchange for access to European food and defence markets. Starmer described his deal as a 'win-win' and insists it sticks within Labour's manifesto promises not to renege on Brexit. Speaking to special correspondent David Patrikarkos, Ms Phillips said: 'I am not one of those Brexit zealots who believe we should have absolutely no relationship with the EU. Listen to 'Apocalypse Now?' wherever you get your podcasts. Listen now 'There are areas in which we should certainly cooperate. I think the information sharing over people smuggling gangs is positive. 'But, and there's a big but – there doesn't seem to have been much negotiation at all. It doesn't even seem to be a deal. A deal implies that we get positive things in return, which reflect British interests. 'There are so many areas where it seems like a first step of many, which opens the door for more and more deals. I worry it will begin to look like rejoining the EU by stealth.' Two of the areas which have sparked the most controversy are a commitment to dynamic alignment on trade and an agreement over continued access to Britain's fishing waters. Labour ministers approved a 12-year extension to an existing arrangement which allows British waters to be fished by EU boats. On these parts of the deal, Ms Phillips said: 'The 12-year extension poses a genuine risk of decimating the UK's fishing industry. 'In 12 years time, a lot of fishermen will retire, and you question how many will be joining the industry when they're very limited over what they can catch. 'In some respects, the erosion of barriers to trade is a good thing – but dynamic alignment where we have to follow EU rules and be under the jurisdictions of European courts is a very perilous path to go down. 'We know that Ursula von der Leyen will release a paper soon which will try to tie the UK into what amounts to joint foreign policy. 'I just feel the deal has been rushed. I do not feel like enough concessions and exceptions were asked for. I worry about the future, because Starmer has only been in power for a year – and this is going to be the first step of many.' The television presenter represented the Brexit Party in the European parliament for 8 months, from July 2019 to the UK's exit from the EU in January 2020. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch labelled the new deal as a 'betrayal', while Nigel Farage, head of a surging Reform UK, called it an 'abject surrender to Brussels'. Ms Phillips raised the EU's initial reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an example of why further alignment with the bloc is no good thing. 'On the outbreak of the invasion, the UK was quick to move forward', Philips remarked. 'We armed Ukraine, we applied sanctions, we were straight out of the blocks. Whereas the EU dithered. 'When it comes to crises, we have seen time and time again that the EU are slow to act. It either responds too slowly or uses a crisis to push forward its own imperial agenda. 'It's so important that Britain remains a sovereign and Atlanticist nation.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The potential of electric vehicles for decarbonising mining
With environmental concerns now firmly at the centre of strategic decision making in the global mining industry, it may be time to tackle one of the sector's biggest issues – the widespread use of fossil fuels – by transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs). The total mining and metals sector, while not the largest contributor to annual greenhouse gas emissions, accounts for between 4% and 7% of global emissions, according to recent research from GlobalData, Mining Technology's parent company. As such, the use of renewable energy and EVs is likely to become more apparent as the industry does what it can to decarbonise. Emissions in mining operations mainly come from direct activities under the umbrella of scope 1, such as on-site vehicles and power plants, and indirect emissions (scope 2) incurred from power consumption, such as electricity use or heat and steam generation. 'In most cases, miners are targeting 2050 as the year to achieve net-zero operational emissions – so scope 1 and 2,' says Alex Phillips, energy transition analyst at GlobalData. 'A few are also targeting net-zero scope 3 emissions as well by that year, and a small number are aiming to achieve net zero earlier,' Phillips adds, pointing out Fortescue, which is aiming for 'real zero' by 2030 at its Australian iron ore operations. Scope 3 emissions are the most significant contributor to the mining industry's total emissions across its value chain. They consist of indirect emissions from activities related to an organisation but that are not owned or controlled by them. This includes the upstream production of fuels used in mining operations or the downstream smelting, refining and manufacturing processes utilising the mined ore. As miners strive to reduce carbon emissions, many are beginning to invest in battery and electric-powered mining fleets as they embark on the long-term goal of diesel displacement. 'There are five focus decarbonisation technologies in the mining industry, and a range of energy transition technologies will need to be deployed to decarbonise mining operations,' says Phillips. The five technologies are electrification, alternative fuels, renewable energy, hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation and storage. The mining sector has room to decarbonise its operations, but does it have the will to, is the required technology available and when will it happen? Some alternative fuels are already available and are being utilised in the mining industry, adds Phillips, but current supply is not sufficient to meet the rising demand and 'alongside the need for cost reductions and further technological advancements, alternative fuels will likely become widely available by 2030'. Turning to electrification, trolley assist systems are already available and being implemented within mining, he adds, with companies such as 'BHP and Boliden utilising the technology to achieve increased operational efficiency and emission reductions'. However, the large-scale deployment of battery-electric trucks 'is still years away, due to challenges such as battery limitations and the massive surge in power demand that will occur due to full electrification. As a result, it is expected to become widely available in mining by 2040,' adds Phillips. As for hydrogen and direct air capture, they are still very much 'nascent technologies, and we expect them to become commercially viable between 2040 and 2050', he adds. Hydrogen can be used for either conventional combustion or in fuel cells, offering significant decarbonisation potential for the mining industry. In fact, mining companies 'are exploring the application of low-carbon hydrogen for fleet decarbonisation as an alternative fuel for mining vehicles', says Phillips. However, the difficulty of storing and transporting hydrogen due to its small molecular size, the lack of suitable supporting infrastructure and the high cost of low-carbon hydrogen production are all barriers to commercial adoption, comments Phillips. Bruce Warner, global transportation segment manager, Hitachi Energy, tells Mining Technology that accessing electrical power is the biggest challenge to powering mining with clean energy. There are also issues related to connecting and charging EVs. Charging technology is quite mature for smaller mining vehicles, but for larger vehicles – which require several megawatts – the technology will 'take time and investment to bring it to state where it can be widely used'. Warner suggests the industry should focus 'more effort in developing an automatic connection system than in developing a new charger'. Warner continues that mining vehicles must be redesigned to carry battery packs 'with a big enough capacity and, importantly, are able to be charged quickly, so that the productivity of a battery truck can be equivalent to that of a diesel one'. He also sees a challenge in overcoming the 'understandable hesitation to launch into a new technology on the part of miners, truck OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] and infrastructure suppliers'. Asked whether battery-operated equipment will eventually replace all fossil-fuelled powered trucks, Warner says that EVs seem to be the best route for most applications in mines. 'There could be cases where dynamic charging is better, but even here vehicles will probably have batteries. Hydrogen or diesel may be used in special applications such as emergency vehicles,' he adds. Warner also raised additional safety concerns for mine operators, such as battery fires. 'Safety is important whatever the source of energy, but with the right safety precautions, battery trucks should not pose a greater risk than diesel trucks.' He concludes that battery operated vehicles 'are essential in supporting the move to net zero in mining as in many mines haulage is the biggest source of CO₂ emissions'. Mining companies are turning in greater and greater numbers to electrification as a path to meet their environmental needs. However, despite recent technological advances, battery technology to power large surface mining trucks is still very much in an evolutionary phase, with hydrogen fuel cell battery technology also being tested at several sites around the world, says GlobalData's 2025 report Development of Electric Vehicles in Surface & Underground Mining. This embedded content is not available in your region. By April 2025, GlobalData was tracking more than 293 load, haul, dump (LHD) trucks and 89 electric mining trucks operating at underground mines around the globe. For surface mines the use of electric-powered mining trucks has been picking up, with 271 trolley-assist trucks and 387 battery-powered surface trucks in operation at the time, says the report. The report adds that the largest population of battery-powered trucks was in China (278), followed by the Republic of Guinea (30) and Thailand (25). Lower maintenance costs, zero exhaust emissions and minimal noise pollution are a few of the key benefits of using battery-powered and hydrogen fuel cell trucks. Significant reductions in underground mine ventilation costs, more efficient energy consumption and reduced operating costs are a few of the leading factors boosting the deployment of electric LHD and other trucks. However, despite the 'many advantages offered by electric equipment, certain challenges remain for miners looking to increase adoption", adds the GlobalData report. For example, higher capital investment is currently required to purchase battery-powered equipment, and batteries have limited capacity, despite continual improvement. The report also pointed to the "shorter drive time between the recharging/changing of battery packs when compared with refuelling of diesel equipment". A representative of global miner Fortescue tells Mining Technology that as 'we continue to deliver on our decarbonisation plan this decade, our focus is on progressively swapping out our diesel-consuming equipment for zero-emissions alternatives and deploying around 2–3GW of renewable energy generation and battery storage to power our iron ore operations', without specifying a time frame. They continue that there are, and will continue to be, 'technical challenges related to decarbonisation [and] as part of addressing these challenges, existing technology will need to be adapted and applied in new ways, and entirely new technology will also need to be developed'. Fortescue claims to be committed to 'achieving [its] 2030 target of 'Real Zero' without the use of voluntary carbon offsets. Technology availability (including supply chain availability of relevant goods and services) and technology maturity are therefore key issues.' In June 2022, Fortescue Metals announced a collaboration with equipment manufacturer Liebherr to develop green technology-based mining haul trucks, with the partnership expected to contribute to Fortescue's transition of its diesel fleet to a green mining fleet by 2030. Fortescue revealed it would purchase 120 haul trucks from Liebherr based on its fleet replacement and sustaining capital expenditure estimate. The process of electrification and increased battery usage has been ongoing for several years, with mining giant Vale receiving two battery-powered, 72-tonne, off-highway trucks from China's Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group in late 2022, with the vehicles then undergoing tests in the mines of Água Limpa, Brazil and Sorowako, Indonesia. In a press release issued at the time, the Brazilian miner claimed these trucks – which do not emit CO₂ – were the first to be used by a global mining company. In 2024, Vale and Caterpillar announced they would test battery-electric large trucks and energy transfer systems, and study the use of ethanol-powered trucks. This, according to a statement from Vale, would help the miner achieve its goals of reducing scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 33% by 2030. Moving forward to the start of 2025, Vale and Caterpillar announced a five-year global framework agreement to 'expand their collaboration and focus on productivity, innovation and carbon reduction initiatives', something which both companies said 'will reduce operating costs and increase asset efficiency'. Vale and Caterpillar's deal will see the companies develop a dual-fuel haul truck that operates on both diesel and ethanol, which will have the capacity to carry 240t [tonnes] initially. Diesel fuel use currently accounts for 15% of Vale's direct CO₂ equivalent emissions in operations. 'Decarbonisation is a major challenge which will only be overcome by investing in solutions such as alternative fuels and electrification to reduce emissions without compromising efficiency and safety,' stated João Turchetti, Vale's decarbonisation engineering director in February. According to GlobalData, while all energy transition technologies hold potential to aid decarbonisation efforts, many remain in the early stages of development and face numerous challenges to their adoption by the mining industry. "The potential of electric vehicles for decarbonising mining" was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
BBC News
14-03-2025
- BBC News
Okehampton Interchange railway station will open Devon 'gateway'
Work has begun on a new railway station that will "open a gateway" to Dartmoor Line has been closed to allow a week-long "intense period of work" at the new Okehampton Interchange, during which track has been moved to allow a new platform to be as accessible as station is being built on the eastern edge of Okehampton, about 2.2km (1.4 miles) away from Okehampton station, which reopened in 2021 after 49 years as part of the then government's Restoring Your Railway Rail manager Alex Phillips said: "This is going to be a new one-platform station that is going to open so many doors for the people of Devon and connect into the wider railway network." Network Rail programme manager Daniel Parkes said work due to be finished by the spring of 2026 would allow "real connectivity" in north track had to be moved one metre (3.3ft) as it was on a "really tight curve", to make sure the stepping distance was "sufficient " for the train. The station will have a footbridge with a lift to make it "fully accessible", with a bus stop linking to a new housing stretch of the Dartmoor Line behind Exeter Road Industrial estate, on the edge of Okehampton, is a hive of activity, Network Rail says, and work is being done as quickly as possible to reduce the impact on commuters who already use the Dartmoor Line.
