Working as an associate with TDI Sustainability, Future Terrains’ Pete Whitbread-Abrutat carried out environmental audits of the coal surface mining operations of the Maikuben-West LLP, near Ekibastuz in north-east Kazakhstan, and the two underground coal mines of the Taldinskaya Mining Company LLC, near Novokuznetsk in Siberia, Russia. As part of the TDI teams, Pete provided expertise on environmental assessment to complement TDI’s social and occupational health and safety experts.
The companies’ operations were assessed according to the 10 principles of the Bettercoal Code. Bettercoal is an industry assurance organisation set-up by European energy companies to promote continuous improvement in the mining and sourcing of coal for the benefit of all people impacted by the industry, workers and coal mining communities. Coal mines are assessed against the principles of the Bettercoal Code through its Supplier Assessment Process, then a bespoke Continuous Improvement Plan is prepared to improve the environmental and social performance of the supplier.

Coal haulage at Taldinskaya coal mine, Russia, in winter