Portugal was present at the International Summit of Ministers of the Mining Sector in 2017, which took place on 6 March, in Toronto.

The Secretary of State for Energy, Jorge Seguro Sanches, was one of the speakers at this meeting, which had as its main theme the “Opportunities and Challenges for Innovation and Clean Innovation in the Mining Sector”.

Focused on the role of innovation in the mining sector, this meeting also allowed the role of governments and the new collaborative models and initiatives with industry to be debated.

The International Summit of Ministers of the Mining Sector forms part of the PDAC International Convention, Trade Show & Investors Exchange, a prestigious worldwide convention that brings together people, companies and organizations linked to mining and financing of the sector.

In addition to having more than 900 exhibitors and 22 thousand participants from 125 countries, this event is composed of technical sessions, various technical training courses and networking events.

Sustainability and efficiency in the use of resources are one of Portugal’s priorities, and policies and legislation aimed at this objective have been implemented.

As a direct result of this strategy, the mining sector will be the first to eliminate industrial liabilities (forecast by 2022) amassed during the 20th century, and has currently invested another 90 million euros in the environmental remediation of former mining areas, with EDM – Empresa de Desenvolvimento Mineiro, SA being tasked to carry out the associated work.