PROMOTING AQUACULTURE WITH ADVOCACY AND ACTION The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association AQUAPONICS SOLUTIONS FOR A BETTER FISHERY INDUSTRY Alberta Aquaculture Association THIS VISIONARY COMPANY OFFERS CUTTING-EDGE HYDRAULIC FRACTURING TECHNOLOGY Catalyst Energy Services RESOURCEINFOCUS.COM M A RC H 2 02 3EDITOR’S CORNER 3 There is no doubt women have made great inroads in the workforce over the decades in many industries, but they remain underrepre- sented in natural resources, especially America’s oil and gas sector. With women comprising only 15 percent of the industry—compared to 47 percent of the entire U.S. workforce—the energy sector still remains one of the least diverse. Despite some countries making positive changes and wel- coming more women to the workforce—with women rep- resenting 18 percent of Australia’s mining workforce—chal- lenges remain. These include creating a balance between life at work and life at home, advancement opportunities, and robust workplace health and safety, shifts which stand to benefit men in the industry as well as women. Long male- dominated, mining, oil and gas and other resource sector companies need to steer the conversation toward welcoming and mentoring women, addressing bias, and actively promot- ing workplace recruitment and advancement—to the benefit of everyone, including the bottom line. This month, Resource in Focus writer Karen Hawthorne takes a closer look at resource sector challenges and opportunities in A Pipeline of Talent: Women in the Field. Robert Hoshowsky Editor Suite 300, 7071 Bayers Rd. | Halifax, NS | B3L 2C2 | Canada P: 1-647-479-2163 | E: EDITOR Robert Hoshowsky DEPUTY EDITORS Tim Hocken | Jaime McKee COPY EDITORS Thora Smith | Allister Havercroft CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Nate Hendley | William Young Karen Hawthorne | Claire Suttles DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS James Corbett CONTENT MANAGERS Dean Lucas | Jack Murtha | Louis Susara SALES TEAM Pamela Taylor | Morgan Culpepper | Dean Lucas OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Julia MacQueen GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGER Severina Gachparova GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Laura Pratt | Ashley Dowling Ebic Tristary | Yoana Ilcheva CONTROLLER Jen Hamilton PUBLISHER Jeff Hocken “With women comprising only 15 percent of the industry—compared to 47 percent of the entire U.S. workforce—the energy sector still remains one of the least diverse.”INSIDE MARCH AQUACULTURE OIL & GAS MODERN METHODS & TECHNOLOGY 4 Women in the Field Throughout all the years women have been in the workforce, they have faced numerous challenges, including balancing familial and professional respon- sibilities. On top of that, they’ve been up against bias and preconceived notions about what a woman can and can’t do when it comes to work. 5 RESOURCE IN FOCUS CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ASSESSMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 18 – 19 April, Calgary, AB and online Hosted by The Canadian Institute, this year marks the 11th National Symposium on Cumulative Effects Assessment and Environmental Management. To be held at Calgary’s Hotel Arts, the Symposium is a must-attend for professionals involved in sustainable project development. Providing guests with opportunities to engage with key stakeholders, highlights will include balancing project advancements with cumulative effects; Indigenous rights and climate change; lessons learned from the Blueberry River Court decision, and much more. For more information 2023 MINING HEALTH AND SAFETY CONFERENCE 18 – 20 April, Sudbury, ON This April will see the 25th annual Mining Health and Safety Conference at the Holiday Inn in Sudbury. Hosted by Workplace Safety North, this year’s theme is ‘Evolution of mining safety: Past reflections and future innovations.’ It is expected to attract hundreds of attendees, with discus- sions about safety culture and management systems, emergency preparedness and mine rescue, high-risk hazards specific to underground mining work, and much more. For more information WATER IN MINING GLOBAL SUMMIT 25 – 27 April, Toronto, ON The ideal forum for expanding industry contacts, networking with mining company decision-makers, taking advantage of peer-to-peer discus- sions on water management, and more, this year’s Water in Mining Global Summit is the place to be to understand the importance of water in the age of critical minerals. To date, 44 industry expert speakers and over 160 senior decision makers will be in attendance. For more information TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION SUMMIT 1 – 3 May, Boston, MA The Transmission & Distribution Summit is an invitation-only premium Summit bringing together leading transmission & distribution executives and innovative suppliers and solution providers. Key topics for this year’s Summit include Sustainability and Building Decarbonization Plans; Storm Hardening: Driving New Resiliency Strategies; Integrating Technologies Into The Grid; Navigating The New Workforce Hybrid Dynamic; and much more. For more information WASTEEXPO 1 – 4 May, New Orleans, LA At WasteExpo, “the road ahead is paved with myriad opportunities.” From connecting with 14,000 peers to doing business with over 600 exhibi- tors, this is one event that pays dividends all year long. Preview the latest vehicles, tune in to the latest technology, and learn the latest curricu- lum to improve the environment at New Orleans’ Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. For more information INDUSTRY EVENTS 6 Are you planning an event relating to North America’s Resource Industry? To get your event listed in Resource in Focus, please contact us at least six to eight weeks before the event takes place at or call 1-647-479-2163INDUSTRY NEWS CHALLENGES OF AGING WORKFORCE: REPORT After years of COVID-19 related challenges like outbreaks and closures, the world’s mining sector is facing perhaps its greatest hurdle of all: an older workforce that is calling it quits and retiring. According to Tracking the trends 2023: The indispensable role of mining and metals, a recent report from global pro- fessional services network Deloitte, the vacancy rate across key mining and mineral markets is high. In Canada, mining vacancy rates are at 3.7 percent. At present, many mining workers are around age 46. A com- bination of a retiring workforce and low recruitment rates is cause for concern, especially as the need for minerals and metals used in supporting the transition to greener tech- nologies, such as electric vehicles powered by rechargeable batteries, increases. Stating that, “there is a danger of critical knowledge and skills being lost,” the 71-page report suggests that organizations “can secure a future-ready pipeline of talent” through tools such as career development and creating a workforce that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable. Some ways to rethink mining organiza- tional pathways included in the report are telling the appropri- ate stories and engaging with younger generations on issues such as sustainability, working on an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agenda and community-led ESG initiatives, and understanding timeframes, among others. 7INDUSTRY NEWS OFFSHORE WIND FARM CONTROVERSY Although there is no concrete evidence that noise caused from offshore wind farms is responsible for the increase in whale mortality, some politicians and advocates are calling for an “immediate moratorium” on development off the Atlantic coast. In recent months, at least 18 dead whales have washed up along the east coast of the United States. While some say attributing their deaths to offshore wind is part of a “cynical disinformation” campaign against offshore wind power gen- erations, others—including a dozen mayors of New Jersey beach towns, and Republican congressman Chris Smith— aren’t so sure, and are calling for a pause so scientists can conduct investigations into ocean noise caused by soil boring and seabed mapping. Calling the number of whale deaths “unprecedented,” the 12 mayors wrote a letter to state and federal officials urging for a pause of offshore wind development until a “thorough investigation” is conducted. “While we are not opposed to clean energy, we are concerned about the impacts these [offshore wind] projects may already be having on our envi- ronment,” stated the letter. “We urge you to take action now to prevent future deaths.” The letter went on to state, “The unprecedented number of whale stranding coincides with ongoing activity from acoustic survey vessels for the devel- opment of offshore wind.” The recent whale deaths have ignited debate among poli- ticians, lawmakers, environmental groups, and the public to determine what is to blame for the carcasses found on beaches in New Jersey and New York. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), which is “responsible for the stewardship of the nation’s ocean resources and their habitat,” addressed the issue of offshore wind and whales on its website, stating it is working with partners to analyze the causes of death based on scientific data. “At this point, there is no evidence that noise resulting from wind development-related site characterization surveys could potentially cause mortality of whales, and no specific links between recent large whale mortalities and currently ongoing surveys,” stated the NOAA. “These are geological and geophysical surveys conducted by wind energy develop- ers. We will continue to gather data to help us determine the cause of death for these mortality events.” According to the NOAA, the most common cause of humpback whale deaths is colliding with ships and becoming tangled in fishing gear. 8INDUSTRY NEWS GERMANY’S WIND TURBINE AMBITIONS In an effort to meet energy needs following sanctions resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and shortages of natural gas, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently stated his government intends to drastically speed up onshore wind turbine construction. During a discussion with the Bild am Sonntag weekly newspa- per, the Chancellor said that the country will see the construc- tion of “an average of four-to-five onshore wind turbines every day.” This ambitious goal, said Scholz, will be carried out with “military precision” to meet 2030 climate goals as Germany strives to transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. Just last year, Germany brought in the new Onshore Wind Energy Act, which came into effect earlier this year. One of its regulations requires an overall two percent of the country’s land be designated for wind parks by 2032. Prior to that time, Germany’s states must ensure a minimum 1.4 percent of land will be allocated for wind projects by 2027. In recent months, Germany has faced drastic energy short- ages. Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany was largely dependent on natural gas from Russia. By late last December, Germany’s natural gas consumption fell from 55 percent to just 20 percent following sanctions. With no end to the war in sight, Germany is advancing growth in renewables to make up for the energy shortfall. The country has vowed to become car- bon-neutral by 2045. NEW STEEL PLANT FOR TERNIUM Steelmaker Ternium recently announced the construction of a new mill, along with a wind farm supplying power to the com- pany’s plants in Argentina. Approximately $2.2 billion USD will be invested into building a new mill based on an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) in the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) region “to complement and support the hot rolling mill at Pesqueria, Mexico,” stated the company on its website. “This new mill will have an annual capacity of 2.6 million ton, as well as a Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) module with an annual capacity of 2.1 million ton. The project will include the construction of a port installation to manage raw materials.” Along with the new mill, Ternium announced its $160 million USD wind farm investment in Argentina. Slated to start operations next year, the wind farm will have 72 MW of installed power and, according to the company, “will allow the replacement of approximately 65 percent of the energy acquired to third parties.” The company expects its new mill to be operational by the second half of 2026. 9Next >