UNDERSTAND / THE RESOURCE LANDSCAPE
One economy.
Interconnected resources.
A practical framework for exploring inputs, infrastructure and the questions that connect them.
From geology to usable materials.
Resource availability alone does not determine usable supply. Extraction, concentration, refining, specification and transport each introduce different constraints.
Ask about ore quality, processing yield, recovery rates, infrastructure access and product specifications. Compare reserves, resources and annual production as separate concepts.
Materials and energy move together.
Industrial resource pathways depend on reliable electricity, heat and fuels. At the same time, energy infrastructure creates demand for metals and other materials.
Separate electricity from process heat. Record the energy intensity boundary, operating profile, grid connection needs and the assumptions behind any future energy mix.
Local context matters.
Water availability is basin-specific. Withdrawal, consumption, discharge and reuse measure different things. A global average cannot establish the viability of an individual site.
Identify seasonal water availability, competing uses, water quality, treatment needs and environmental flow requirements. Seek site-level evidence before drawing conclusions.
Secondary supply has its own constraints.
Recovered materials can contribute to supply, but collection, sorting, quality and processing losses influence what can return to productive use.
Check the functional equivalence of secondary material, contamination limits and recovery losses. Our planner treats secondary input as already usable; collection and upstream recovery are outside its boundary.