"Mining must be understood as a key part of large-scale sustainable development"

José Fernando Sánchez-Junco, Chairman & CEO of MAXAM, chaired the debate on the current situation and future outlook for mined and metallurgical raw materials

Representatives from the worlds of business, universities and the public sector attended the fourth edition of the International Meeting on Mining and Metallurgy, where they presented different points of view on the current situation of the mining and metallurgical sector, its challenges, and sustainable development.  

“José Fernando Sánchez-Junco, Chairman & CEO of MAXAM, chaired the debate “Mined and Metallurgical Raw Materials Today and in the Future”, which analysed the current context of this market and the challenges it faces in the short and medium term. Sánchez-Junco started off the discussion by stating that “China will continue to contribute to the global consumption of raw materials” and added that “The Asian country will experience strong growth over the next few years, GDP for this year is forecast to reach 6.5%, with ambitious plans for investment in infrastructure”.

The roundtable, made up of Audra Walsh, General Director of MATSA, Carlos Alemán, CEO of ICL Iberia, Marcos Sosa, Director General of Valoriza Minería, Alberto Lavandeira, CEO of Atalaya Mining, and Nuria Menéndez, General Director of Orovalle SLU, focused on the volatility of different metal prices, their effect on mining companies, and the importance of sustainability in mining.

Audra Walsh (MATSA) opened the session by pointing out that “mining companies offer quality employment and cover the level of demand in Spain, where 45 million Spaniards require around 1 billion tons of mineral to satisfy their needs”. Carlos Alemán (ICL Iberia) highlighted the “key role of raw materials in society”, and stressed that the fundamental requirement of all mining activity was that it must be sustainable, stating that “sustainable mining is the present and future of our industry."

Alberto Lavandeira (Atalaya Mining) focused on the volatility of metal prices and their effect on mining companies, stating that the future of his company is guaranteed as long as the prize of copper is maintanined. He also indicated that the increase in world population and modern consumption habits benefit the mining industry, "metals and minerals will be necessary for as long as people buy cars, houses and electrical appliances". Nuria Menéndez (Orovalle SLU) explained her view of the gold market and the political and social changes necessary to bolster metallurgy industry production in Spain, calling on the need “to generate a legislative, social and economic framework which is favourable to mining, as the only way to achieve a fully transparent, sustainable industry which offers maximum value to society."

Marcos Sosa (Valoriza Minería) focused on the decrease in the global consumption of metals and the role of China on the worldwide mining industry, stating his belief that "the decrease in consumption in China is due fundamentally to legislative changes in the country, along with environmental policies now being implemented, which have even led to some mines of strategic global importance closing down."

“At the end of the session, Sánchez-Junco summarised some of the main conclusions reached, and declared that “mining must be understood as a key part of large-scale sustainable development. We must convince not only the authorities but also the general public of the need to bolster the mining industry and of its social and strategic value."

MAXAM - maxamcorp.com
MAXAM is a global technology company, specializing in the design, development, manufacture and application of energy materials. It structures its activity in four business units: blasting solutions for mining, quarries and civil works; cartridges and gun powders for use in hunting and recreational shooting; products and systems for the defence and security sector; and production of key primary products in nitro chemical activity.

Founded by Alfred Nobel in 1872, today MAXAM employs more than 6,500 people on five continents, in 80 industrial facilities, with subsidiaries in more than 50 countries and commercial operations in over 100 countries. At the close of the 2018 financial year (31 March 2018), the company’s turnover stood at over 1.14 billion euros.