OceanaGold (Philippines) Inc. (OGPI) bagged a certification on energy management from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as the company vows to further improve its energy utilization, efficiency, and consumption.
OGPI’s new ISO 50001:2011 Energy Management System (EnMS) certification was awarded through QSCert, an accredited certification body of the international organization.
According to OGPI general manager David Way, the new certification compliments their Didipio Mines’ existing ISO certifications of 14001:2015 and Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001:2017.
“This is a commitment of the company to continuously improve its processes when it comes to protecting the environment to leave a sustainable ecosystem for future generations,” Way was quoted in a Manila Times report.
However, even before the mining firm’s achievement of their new international certification, OGPI had conducted programs focused on energy efficiency geared towards alleviating climate change.
Didipio Mine connecting to the national grid through its overhead power lines in 2015 is one of its energy-efficient-focused programs. This, Way said, led to an 89-percent decrease on the company’s carbon emission and diesel consumption.
The company also had a carbon sink program which also aims for reduction of carbon emission through establishing tree plantations in and around their mine site.
Trees exceeding 1.6 million had already been planted not just as a support to the government’s national greening program but also as a way of being compliant to the newly-acquired ISO 50001 while “OceanaGold aims to reduce three percent of its energy consumption by the end of 2019.”
Way added that the EnMS certification goes hand-in-hand to Republic Act 11285 or the “Energy Efficiency and Conservation Law” which aims to promote energy efficiency, and the development and use of renewable energy.
Aside from OGPI’s Integrated Management System, the EnMS certification through their OHSAS 18001 certification was an effective management tool that promotes improved environmental and safety performance through proactive environmental compliance, prevention of pollution, and excellent safety culture.
OGPI, particularly its Didipio Mine in Kasibu town in Nueva Vizcaya, is currently the only operating mine in the country certified by ISO on Energy Management System.
