Governance in mining enterprises: An effective way to promote the intensification of resources—Taking coal resources as an example. (June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wei, Jing; Zhang, Jianjun; Wu, Xia; Song, Zeyu
• Is Part Of: Resources policy. Volume 76(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-06
• Subjects: Mineral resources -- Coal mines -- Intensive utilization -- Improvement paths -- China; Mines and mineral resources -- Periodicals; Ressources minérales -- Périodiques; Ressources naturelles -- Gestion -- Périodiques; Environnement -- Politique gouvernementale -- Périodiques; 333.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.102623
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0301-4207

Abstract

Abstract: As the crucial material basis for the development of human society, mineral resources (MRs) are facing a serious dilemma of shortage. Strengthening the intensive utilization of existing resources has great significance for ensuring the sustainable and stable supply of MRs and promoting the realization of ecological mining. This paper, taking the city of Yangquan, China as a case study, explores the intensive utilization of MRs based on its scientific connotation, and proposes dynamic improvement paths for strengthening the intensification of MRs utilization, thus filling a gap in this domain. The background conditions of mines and the basic cases of corresponding mining enterprises are all indicators presented by the resource itself in the process of transforming minerals into useful products that constitute a basic framework for identifying and strengthening the intensification of MRs utilization. The results show that mining enterprises are the core of intensive utilization. The extract recovery rate of mining enterprises contributes the most to the intensive utilization of resources. Meanwhile, the input-output level and per capita output level of mining enterprises and the ore loss during mining process are also highly concerned targeting the intensification. The intensive utilization level of large mines is usually relatively high, indicating that mine scale does have an impact on the intensive utilization of resources, but when it reaches a certain scale, the impact will gradually decrease. Besides, there are still weak links in the development process of mines, regardless of the intensive degree. Thus, from the perspective of enterprise governance, corresponding dynamic improvement paths (fundamental optimization-comprehensive optimization-strategic optimization) are adopted to make an attempt at increasing the intensive degree of MRs utilization. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a new course of the realizability to strengthen the intensification of MRs utilization. Highlights: The basic scientific connotation of intensive utilization of mineral resources is defined. Mines and mining enterprises constitute the research framework for identifying the intensification of mineral resources. 3 levels of intensive utilization are divided to identify the existing weak links in the process of resources utilization. Corresponding dynamic improvement paths for increasing the intensive degree of mineral resources utilization are proposed.