Leveraging Renewable Energy Infrastructure for Mining Community Resilience
This report explores how renewable energy developed for mining operations can support local content policy, energy access, and inclusive community resilience. It offers practical recommendations for governments to align mining, energy, climate, and development objectives so that renewable energy investments create benefits beyond mine sites and beyond the life of the mine.
Policy Recommendations
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Mining-led renewable energy infrastructure can strengthen local content policy by creating horizontal linkages that deliver energy access and community benefits beyond the mine gate.
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Governments should align mining, energy, climate, infrastructure, and development policies so that renewable energy investments support national goals and local resilience.
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Plan for long-term community benefits by investing in local skills, inclusive training, maintenance capacity, mine closure planning, and reuse or recycling of renewable energy infrastructure.
Mining is one of the world’s most energy-intensive industries, yet it is also central to the global energy transition. As companies increasingly adopt renewable energy to reduce emissions, governments have an opportunity to ensure these investments also support local development and community resilience.
This publication complements the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development’s series on local content policy guidance by focusing on renewable energy infrastructure as a form of horizontal linkage: shared infrastructure that can serve both mining operations and surrounding communities. It examines how renewable energy developed for mining operations can deliver benefits beyond the mine site. When planned deliberately, shared renewable energy systems can improve electricity access, strengthen public services, support local businesses, create jobs, and contribute to long-term economic diversification in mining regions.
The publication sets out practical policy recommendations for governments to better align mining, energy, climate, infrastructure, education, and development objectives. It highlights the importance of assessing existing energy infrastructure, strengthening policy coherence, promoting skills development, enabling public–private partnerships, planning for mine closure, and ensuring that women and marginalized groups can access the opportunities created by renewable energy investments.
By integrating renewable energy infrastructure into local content policy, governments can help turn mining-related investments into lasting community assets that support inclusive, low-carbon, and resilient development.
Participating experts
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