Die mit dem LOBA ausgezeichnete Serie untersucht in mehreren Kapiteln die aktuellen Folgen der globalen Energiewirtschaft an den Beispielen der Kobaltminen in der Demokratischen Republik Kongo, des Kupfer- und Lithiumabbaus in Chile und der Gewinnung von Nickel in Indonesien. Für sein Projekt nutzt Monteleone neben der Fotografie weitere visuelle Formate wie Video oder Kartierungen; die Arbeit problematisiert mit dem Einsatz verschiedener Bildmedien die Verbindung zwischen den jeweiligen Rohstoffen und den vor Ort lebenden und arbeitenden Menschen.

Könnten Sie uns bitte Ihr Projekt kurz beschreiben?
Critical Minerals – Geography of Energy ist ein Projekt mit mehreren Kapiteln, das den tiefgreifenden Wandel in der globalen Energielandschaft – die Umstellung auf erneuerbare Energiequellen – untersucht. Die Geschichte befasst sich mit den komplexen geopolitischen, sozialen und ökologischen Auswirkungen der exponentiellen Nachfrage nach Mineralien, die zur Erreichung der Ziele für erneuerbare Energien erforderlich sind. Während die Industrienationen den Wettlauf in Richtung Nachhaltigkeit anführen, stehen sie vor der doppelten Herausforderung, eine Politik für saubere Energie zu formulieren und gleichzeitig die notwendigen Rohstoffe zu sichern, die häufig aus dem globalen Süden stammen. Infolgedessen haben Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft, Politik, Menschenrechte und Umweltaktivismus begonnen, die hohen Kosten der Energiewende infrage zu stellen. Das Streben nach umweltfreundlicherer Energie birgt die Gefahr, dass die Fehler der Vergangenheit fortgeschrieben werden, anstatt eine gerechte und nachhaltige Zukunft einzuläuten.

Indonesia is emerging as a significant player in global nickel production, accounting for around 30% of the worldwide supply. The Southeast Asian archipelago sits atop vast nickel reserves, with the largest deposits in Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands. These regions have seen a surge in population as thousands of Indonesians move to these areas for employment opportunities. Cities like Sorowako have grown significantly, with many residents working in large-scale industrial nickel mines. The average salary for workers in the nickel mining industry ranges from $300 to $500 per month, attracting people from various parts of Indonesia seeking better economic opportunities. Nickel is primarily extracted from ores like laterite and sulfide. This element is crucial in producing stainless steel and is increasingly essential for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles. The demand for nickel is expected to rise sharply in the coming years, driven by the global shift towards renewable energy and electric mobility. Chinese investment plays a significant role in Indonesia’s nickel mining sector. Major Chinese companies like Tsingshan Holding Group have established a strong presence, particularly in Sulawesi. The Morowali Industrial Park, a large-scale development funded by Chinese investment, is a central hub for nickel processing. Other critical areas of nickel mining activity include Pomala, Tambea, and Pomalaa, where companies are engaged in extensive mining and processing operations. The Indonesian government has banned the export of raw nickel ore to encourage the development of domestic processing industries. This policy aims to increase the value added to nickel products within the country and boost economic growth. Nickel extraction typically involves strip mining, which removes large areas of topsoil and vegetation to access the nickel-rich layers beneath. This method has significant environmental impacts, including deforestation and habitat destruction. The los

Chile, April 2023. Aerial view of Chuquicamata mine. ***GENERAL CAPTION***The degree of copper mineralization in Chile has no equal around the world. Indeed, Chile is home to some of the world’s largest, better-known copper mines, and the industry has been one of the main drivers in the rapid development of the country’s economy. Most copper mining operations are in the northern area, which is one of the driest environments on the planet, and this factor complicates mining operations. The water shortage causes insufficient resources to meet the region’s total demand, generating constant competition for this resource. It seems that the mining corporations have started to search for more innovative practices to address the challenges concerning high energy consumption rates since there is a high dependence on the national energy distribution system, which mainly uses fossil fuels that must be imported from abroad. Also, copper mining has always had a devastating impact on the environment, causing deforestation, land degradation, water pollution, and the release of toxic chemicals in the air, affecting human health. This region of the world has been exploited for its natural resources for centuries, and the result is a large field of abandoned sites from where local communities have been displaced over the years, leaving behind a series of ghost towns, dry fields, and industrial waste. The real struggle, from now on, will be to sort out a way to keep pace with green policies while confronting the ever-increasing demand for critical materials, which are undoubtedly necessary for the upcoming energy transition that will make an overall move away from fossil fuels possible.

Kolwezi, Democratic republic of Congo (DRC). August 2023. – Mutoshi artisanal mining (ASM) COMIAKOL cooperative. Portrait of a miners. In early 2018, Chemaf set out to develop the Mutoshi concession near Kolwezi (a city of approximately 500,000 people). The cooperative intends to guarantee better conditions for 5,000 informal miners working in artisanal mining. The formalisation meant controlled access to the mine site by the partners involved in the project, open-pit operations, training and higher health and safety standards, and creating a shared financial opportunity for the local community. The reality is way different. Despite the intentions, miners dig for cobalt and copper in harsh conditions, often barefoot in tunnels much deeper than the 30mt declared. Moreover, they no longer had the opportunity to store ore until prices increased to negotiate a better deal with the company that owns the concession. Instead, they now depend on the terms set by a Chinese middleman firm operating illicitly at the accommodation and selling to larger cobalt processing companies in China, the world’s largest importer of cobalt. ***GENERAL CAPTION*** DRC accounts for around 70% of global production of Cobalt. Southern Congo sits atop an estimated 3.4 million metric tons of cobalt, almost half the world’s known supply. Hundreds of thousands of Congolese have moved to the formerly remote area in recent decades. Kolwezi now has more than half a million residents. Many Congolese have taken jobs at industrial mines in the region; others have become “artisanal diggers” or creuseurs. Cobalt is produced today from one of a number of metallic-lustred ores, such as cobaltite (CoAsS). The element is, however, more usually produced as a by-product of copper and nickel mining. Cobalt is primarily used in lithium-ion batteries and in manufacturing magnetic, wear-resistant, high-strength alloys. Between 15-30% of the cobalt from the DRC comes from informal or artisanal mines. I

Welchen Umfang hat die Serie bislang?
Das Projekt umfasst derzeit vier Kapitel, die jeweils einem bestimmten kritischen Mineral gewidmet sind – Kupfer, Lithium, Kobalt und Nickel. Und wir planen, ein fünftes Kapitel über Seltene Erden aufzunehmen. Die Erzählung soll sich mit Beiträgen von verschiedenen geografischen Standorten und lokalen Mitarbeitern weiterentwickeln, um ihr mehr Tiefe und Breite zu verleihen.

Wie wird diese Vertiefung aussehen?
Die Idee ist, die Auswirkungen dieser Mineralien von der Gewinnung bis zu ihrer Rolle bei der globalen Energiewende zu behandeln. Es ist ein gemeinschaftliches Projekt mit Foto- und Videobeiträgen von lokalen Mitarbeitern wie Cristóbal Olivares in Chile, Guerchom Ndebo im Kongo und Muhammad Fadli in Indonesien. Neben der fotografischen Serie gibt es eine bedeutende Videokomponente, die als Mehrkanalkurzfilm und eine Reihe von Karten für die Zukunft konzipiert ist. Bei diesem Ansatz werden verschiedene Medien und Perspektiven eingesetzt, um eine genauere und ansprechendere Darstellung des Themas zu ermöglichen.

Pomalaa, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. May 2024. Forest in the area around the nickel mining. In Sulawesi, extensive nickel mining has led to significant deforestation, stripping large areas of natural vegetation. This environmental degradation disrupts local ecosystems, leads to a loss of biodiversity, and increases soil erosion. The removal of forests exacerbates the risk of flooding, as the land’s natural absorption and drainage capacities are diminished. Additionally, deforestation contributes to higher carbon emissions, impacting climate change. The balance between economic gains from nickel extraction and the preservation of Sulawesi’s forests is crucial for sustainable development in the region. ****GENERAL CAPTION**** Indonesia is emerging as a significant player in global nickel production, accounting for around 30% of the worldwide supply. The Southeast Asian archipelago sits atop vast nickel reserves, with the largest deposits in Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands. These regions have seen a surge in population as thousands of Indonesians move to these areas for employment opportunities. Cities like Sorowako have grown significantly, with many residents working in large-scale industrial nickel mines. The average salary for workers in the nickel mining industry ranges from $300 to $500 per month, attracting people from various parts of Indonesia seeking better economic opportunities. Nickel is primarily extracted from ores like laterite and sulfide. This element is crucial in producing stainless steel and is increasingly essential for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles. The demand for nickel is expected to rise sharply in the coming years, driven by the global shift towards renewable energy and electric mobility. Chinese investment plays a significant role in Indonesia’s nickel mining sector. Major Chinese companies like Tsingshan Holding Group have established a strong presence, particularly in Sulawesi. The Morowali Industrial Park, a la

Molawe District, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. May 2024. View of the PT Antam Nickel mine. PT Antam has several concession areas in North Konawe. One of them is the Mandiodo Block, which covers around 16,900 hectares in the region. This area was disputed after 11 overlapping permits were issued and The Southeast Sulawesi High Prosecutor’s Office revealed that 157 hectares of forest areas in PT Antam’s nickel concession in North Konawe have been mined without permission. The mining in the mountains has a significant impact on the coastal ecosystem. ****GENERAL CAPTION**** Indonesia is emerging as a major player in global nickel production, accounting for around 30% of the global supply. The Southeast Asian archipelago sits atop vast nickel reserves, with the largest deposits in Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands. These regions have seen a surge in population as thousands of Indonesians move to these areas for employment opportunities. Cities like Sorowako have grown significantly, with many residents working in large-scale industrial nickel mines. The average salary for workers in the nickel mining industry ranges from $300 to $500 per month, attracting people from various parts of Indonesia seeking better economic opportunities. Nickel is primarily extracted from ores like laterite and sulfide. This element is crucial in producing stainless steel and is increasingly important for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles. The demand for nickel is expected to rise sharply in the coming years, driven by the global shift towards renewable energy and electric mobility. Chinese investment plays a significant role in Indonesia’s nickel mining sector. Major Chinese companies like Tsingshan Holding Group have established a strong presence, particularly in Sulawesi. The Morowali Industrial Park, a large-scale development funded by Chinese investment, is a central hub for nickel processing. Other key areas of nickel mining activity include Pomala, Tambea, and Pomalaa, wh

Chile, April 2023. Albemarle Facility. Aerial view of lithium evaporation ponds. Chilean Lithium is processed through a method that involves the use of big evaporation ponds where the extracted brine water, carried out and pumped from a series of underground wells, is collected and left to evaporate, while exposed to weather elements. The brine, a “complex soup” with a variety of salts, is in fact concentrated in large pools for 12 to 18 months, with an addition of lime and sodium. Since these salts have different solubilities, the final element remaining after more than a year is a 6% concentrated lithium, which is then sent to the chemical plant where lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide are produced. Albemarle is one of the two companies owning a lithium mine in the Salar de Atacama. Located in the southern part of the Salar, it is smaller than SQM’s mine, but still a leading industry in the field. ***GENERAL CAPTION***Chile has the largest lithium reserves in the world. The country is the second global producer of this metal, essential in the upcoming energy switch for its utilization in the production of electric batteries for vehicles, smart devices, renewable power plants, and other technologies helping the world transition away from fossil fuels. According to the Chilean government’s projections, global demand for lithium will quadruple by 2030, reaching 1.8 million tonnes. The Atacama region, which is also home to vast copper mines, supplies nearly one-quarter of the globe’s lithium. The private-owned mining companies SQM and Albemarle take the lead in the commercialization and development of the material, often at the expense of the environment and small communities. The metal is, in fact, extracted through the evaporation of brines found beneath salt flats on South America’s Atacama Plateau, a water-intensive method that drains already scarce water resources, damages wetlands, and harms communities. Miners pump salty lithium-contain

Chile, April 2023. Chuquicamata ghost town. View of the former stadium. The town of Chuquicamata was established as a mining camp when mining operations opened. After much mining and open pit expansion, the town ended up being too close to the mining operations. Dust from the mine and gases from the nearby smelting plant caused the mining company to relocate the entire town. Besides the health and safety concerns, the company was running out of convenient places to pile up mine waste. To extract 1 kilogram of copper, 100 kilograms of rock has to be removed from the ground. That waste material has to go somewhere. So now, the site of the former town is beginning to be buried in mine waste. Most of the town has not yet been buried and stands as a ghost town. Residents were moved to Calama, a city about 15 kilometers away. Codelco, the government company that owns the mine, built over 5,000 homes—one for each family. Residents began moving in 2004, and by September 2007, Chuquicamata was officially abandoned. ***GENERAL CAPTION***The degree of copper mineralization in Chile has no equal around the world. Indeed, Chile is home to some of the world’s largest, better-known copper mines, and the industry has been one of the main drivers in the rapid development of the country’s economy. Most copper mining operations are in the northern area, which is one of the driest environments on the planet, and this factor complicates mining operations. The water shortage causes insufficient resources to meet the region’s total demand, generating constant competition for this resource. It seems that the mining corporations have started to search for more innovative practices to address the challenges concerning high energy consumption rates since there is a high dependence on the national energy distribution system, which mainly uses fossil fuels that must be imported from abroad. Also, copper mining has always had a devastating impact on the environment, causing deforestatio

Diese Komplexität erscheint Ihnen sehr wichtig?
Fotografie muss Zusammenarbeit, einfallsreiche Erzählungen und gezielte Präsentation beinhalten. Es ist wichtig, über die reine Dokumentation hinauszugehen und Geschichten zu erzählen, die aufklären, für etwas werben und zum Handeln anregen.

Wie lange arbeiten Sie schon an dem Projekt?
Ich begann vor über zwei Jahren mit der Arbeit an diesem Thema und hatte einen genauen Plan, der größtenteils wie geplant umgesetzt wurde. In den letzten Jahren habe ich bei vier Reisen und etwa 120 Tagen Feldarbeit an verschiedenen Orten etwa 5000 Bilder aufgenommen. Für die endgültige Auswahl möchte ich eine Auswahl von 50 bis 60 Motiven treffen. Ziel des für den LOBA eingereichten Beitrags war es, einen prägnanten und dennoch aussagekräftigen Überblick über das Projekt zu geben und Bilder auszuwählen, die die verschiedenen geografischen Kontexte und die Ästhetik des Projekts repräsentieren. Es war wichtig, eine Vielzahl von Bildern einzubeziehen, die zusammen eine zusammenhängende Geschichte erzählen und sowohl die globalen Prozesse, als auch die damit verbundenen persönlichen Erzählungen hervorheben.

Welche Erfahrungen haben Sie bisher in der Kooperation gesammelt?
Abgesehen von einigen vorhersehbaren logistischen Schwierigkeiten und einer Verlangsamung der Produktion gab es keine schlechten Erfahrungen. Was die angenehme Überraschung betrifft, so war es ein Vergnügen, in einem Team zu arbeiten und die Feldarbeit mit lokalen Mitarbeitern zu teilen. Dieser Beruf war zu lange eine einsame Tätigkeit; heute bin ich froh, mit Gleichgesinnten zu arbeiten.

Kolwezi, Democratic republic of Congo (DRC). August 2023. – Mutoshi artisanal mining (ASM) COMIAKOL cooperative. Miners estracting minerals from the tunnels. In early 2018, Chemaf set out to develop the Mutoshi concession near Kolwezi (a city of approximately 500,000 people). The cooperative intends to guarantee better conditions for 5,000 informal miners working in artisanal mining. The formalisation meant controlled access to the mine site by the partners involved in the project, open-pit operations, training and higher health and safety standards, and creating a shared financial opportunity for the local community. The reality is way different. Despite the intentions, miners dig for cobalt and copper in harsh conditions, often barefoot in tunnels much deeper than the 30mt declared. Moreover, they no longer had the opportunity to store ore until prices increased to negotiate a better deal with the company that owns the concession. Instead, they now depend on the terms set by a Chinese middleman firm operating illicitly at the accommodation and selling to larger cobalt processing companies in China, the world’s largest importer of cobalt. ***GENERAL CAPTION*** DRC accounts for around 70% of global production of Cobalt. Southern Congo sits atop an estimated 3.4 million metric tons of cobalt, almost half the world’s known supply. Hundreds of thousands of Congolese have moved to the formerly remote area in recent decades. Kolwezi now has more than half a million residents. Many Congolese have taken jobs at industrial mines in the region; others have become “artisanal diggers” or creuseurs. Cobalt is produced today from one of a number of metallic-lustred ores, such as cobaltite (CoAsS). The element is, however, more usually produced as a by-product of copper and nickel mining. Cobalt is primarily used in lithium-ion batteries and in manufacturing magnetic, wear-resistant, high-strength alloys. Between 15-30% of the cobalt from the DRC comes from inform

Chile, April 2023. Albemarle Facility. Albemarle workers collecting samples from a lithium pond. Chilean Lithium is processed through a method that involves the use of big evaporation ponds where the extracted brine water, carried out and pumped from a series of underground wells, is collected and left to evaporate, while exposed to weather elements. The brine, a “complex soup” with a variety of salts, is in fact concentrated in large pools for 12 to 18 months, with an addition of lime and sodium. Since these salts have different solubilities, the final element remaining after more than a year is a 6% concentrated lithium, which is then sent to the chemical plant where lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide are produced. Albemarle is one of the two companies owning a lithium mine in the Salar de Atacama. Located in the southern part of the Salar, it is smaller than SQM’s mine, but still a leading industry in the field. ***GENERAL CAPTION***Chile has the largest lithium reserves in the world. The country is the second global producer of this metal, essential in the upcoming energy switch for its utilization in the production of electric batteries for vehicles, smart devices, renewable power plants, and other technologies helping the world transition away from fossil fuels. According to the Chilean government’s projections, global demand for lithium will quadruple by 2030, reaching 1.8 million tonnes. The Atacama region, which is also home to vast copper mines, supplies nearly one-quarter of the globe’s lithium. The private-owned mining companies SQM and Albemarle take the lead in the commercialization and development of the material, often at the expense of the environment and small communities. The metal is, in fact, extracted through the evaporation of brines found beneath salt flats on South America’s Atacama Plateau, a water-intensive method that drains already scarce water resources, damages wetlands, and harms communities. Miners pump salty

Chile, April 2023. Sky over the Zapar canyon, where a little oasis grows close to the water. The place, once a fertile area, is now encountering serious issues due to the mining companies› massive water draining. ***GENERAL CAPTION***Chile has the largest lithium reserves in the world. The country is the second global producer of this metal, essential in the upcoming energy switch for its utilization in the production of electric batteries for vehicles, smart devices, renewable power plants, and other technologies helping the world transition away from fossil fuels. According to the Chilean government’s projections, global demand for lithium will quadruple by 2030, reaching 1.8 million tonnes. The Atacama region, which is also home to vast copper mines, supplies nearly one-quarter of the globe’s lithium. The private-owned mining companies SQM and Albemarle take the lead in the commercialization and development of the material, often at the expense of the environment and small communities. The metal is, in fact, extracted through the evaporation of brines found beneath salt flats on South America’s Atacama Plateau, a water-intensive method that drains already scarce water resources, damages wetlands, and harms communities. Miners pump salty lithium-containing water, called brine, into massive ponds, where it can take years for the evaporation process to separate the lithium. The displacement of villagers, forced to leave due to lack of water resources or construction sites, has also caused the disappearance of many ancient cultures and traditions of a population used to live by following the natural cycles.

Chile, April 2023. Valle de La Luna, Atacama Desert. The area has an impressive range of color and texture, looking somewhat similar to the surface of the moon. Valle de la Luna is a part of the Reserva Nacional los Flamencos and was declared a Nature Sanctuary in 1982 for its natural environment and strange lunar landscape, from which its name is derived. The Atacama desert is also considered one of the driest places on earth, as some areas have not received a single drop of rain in hundreds of years. A prototype for a Mars rover was tested there by scientists because of the valley’s dry and forbidding terrains. ***GENERAL CAPTION***Chile has the largest lithium reserves in the world. The country is the second global producer of this metal, essential in the upcoming energy switch for its utilization in the production of electric batteries for vehicles, smart devices, renewable power plants, and other technologies helping the world transition away from fossil fuels. According to the Chilean government’s projections, global demand for lithium will quadruple by 2030, reaching 1.8 million tonnes. The Atacama region, which is also home to vast copper mines, supplies nearly one-quarter of the globe’s lithium. The private-owned mining companies SQM and Albemarle take the lead in the commercialization and development of the material, often at the expense of the environment and small communities. The metal is, in fact, extracted through the evaporation of brines found beneath salt flats on South America’s Atacama Plateau, a water-intensive method that drains already scarce water resources, damages wetlands, and harms communities. Miners pump salty lithium-containing water, called brine, into massive ponds, where it can take years for the evaporation process to separate the lithium. The displacement of villagers, forced to leave due to lack of water resources or construction sites, has also caused the disappearance of many ancient cultures and traditions of a

Chile, April 2023. SQM Facility. Aerial view of lithium evaporation ponds. Chilean Lithium is processed through a method that involves the use of big evaporation ponds where the extracted brine water, carried out and pumped from a series of underground wells, is collected and left to evaporate, while exposed to weather elements. The brine, a “complex soup” with a variety of salts, is in fact concentrated in large pools for 12 to 18 months, with an addition of lime and sodium. Since these salts have different solubilities, the final element remaining after more than a year is a 6% concentrated lithium, which is then sent to the chemical plant where lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide are produced. SQM also manufactures Potassium products, generated through an evaporation process as well. Potassium ponds are recognizable by their green color. ***GENERAL CAPTION***Chile has the largest lithium reserves in the world. The country is the second global producer of this metal, essential in the upcoming energy switch for its utilization in the production of electric batteries for vehicles, smart devices, renewable power plants, and other technologies helping the world transition away from fossil fuels. According to the Chilean government’s projections, global demand for lithium will quadruple by 2030, reaching 1.8 million tonnes. The Atacama region, which is also home to vast copper mines, supplies nearly one-quarter of the globe’s lithium. The private-owned mining companies SQM and Albemarle take the lead in the commercialization and development of the material, often at the expense of the environment and small communities. The metal is, in fact, extracted through the evaporation of brines found beneath salt flats on South America’s Atacama Plateau, a water-intensive method that drains already scarce water resources, damages wetlands, and harms communities. Miners pump salty lithium-containing water, called brine, into massive ponds, where it can take y

Chile, April 2023. Albemarle Facility. Aerial view of lithium evaporation ponds. Chilean Lithium is processed through a method that involves the use of big evaporation ponds where the extracted brine water, carried out and pumped from a series of underground wells, is collected and left to evaporate, while exposed to weather elements. The brine, a “complex soup” with a variety of salts, is in fact concentrated in large pools for 12 to 18 months, with an addition of lime and sodium. Since these salts have different solubilities, the final element remaining after more than a year is a 6% concentrated lithium, which is then sent to the chemical plant where lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide are produced. Albemarle is one of the two companies owning a lithium mine in the Salar de Atacama. Located in the southern part of the Salar, it is smaller than SQM’s mine, but still a leading industry in the field. ***GENERAL CAPTION***Chile has the largest lithium reserves in the world. The country is the second global producer of this metal, essential in the upcoming energy switch for its utilization in the production of electric batteries for vehicles, smart devices, renewable power plants, and other technologies helping the world transition away from fossil fuels. According to the Chilean government’s projections, global demand for lithium will quadruple by 2030, reaching 1.8 million tonnes. The Atacama region, which is also home to vast copper mines, supplies nearly one-quarter of the globe’s lithium. The private-owned mining companies SQM and Albemarle take the lead in the commercialization and development of the material, often at the expense of the environment and small communities. The metal is, in fact, extracted through the evaporation of brines found beneath salt flats on South America’s Atacama Plateau, a water-intensive method that drains already scarce water resources, damages wetlands, and harms communities. Miners pump salty lithium-contain

Morowali, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. May 2024. Thousands of workers starting their shift in one of the many companies part of the Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP). In the heart of Morowali, Central Sulawesi, what was once dense and uncharted forestland in the villages of Fatufia and Labota has undergone a radical transformation over the past years. Today, it stands as a thriving industrial park contributing significantly to Indonesia’s revenue up to 1b USD in 2023. IMIP area has three industrial clusters. First, the stainless steel cluster has a capacity of 4 million metric tons of stainless steel per year, 3 million tons of hot-rolled coil, and 1.1 million tons per year of cold-rolled coil. The second is the carbon steel cluster, with a production capacity of 4.8 million tons annually. The third is the electric vehicle (EV) battery component cluster, with a capacity of 120,000 tons per year of nickel-cobalt and 120,000 tons per year of Ni Sulphide. There are now at least 54 interconnected factories with various mining products and supporting companies. Each factory is interrelated, even though it belongs to different companies, making it an integrated metal industry zone. ****GENERAL CAPTION**** Indonesia is emerging as a significant player in global nickel production, accounting for around 30% of the worldwide supply. The Southeast Asian archipelago sits atop vast nickel reserves, with the largest deposits in Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands. These regions have seen a surge in population as thousands of Indonesians move to these areas for employment opportunities. Cities like Sorowako have grown significantly, with many residents working in large-scale industrial nickel mines. The average salary for workers in the nickel mining industry ranges from $300 to $500 per month, attracting people from various parts of Indonesia seeking better economic opportunities. Nickel is primarily extracted from ores like laterite and sulfide. This element is crucial in produc

Shabara, Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). August 2023. View of the site of the artisanal copper and cobalt mine. Shabara is one of the largest artisanal mines in the region, with around 20,000 people working at the site in shifts of 10,000 at a time. Despite the attempts to regulate the artisanal mining industry, forbidding children to work and increasing safety measures, the working conditions are close to slavery. The cooperative administration declares that miners can make up to 500 dollars a month, though most don’t make more than a few dollars daily. There are probably 10,000 to 15,000 tunnels dug by hand by artisanal miners. None have supports, ventilation shafts, rock bolts, or anything else. ***GENERAL CAPTION*** DRC accounts for around 70% of global production of Cobalt. Southern Congo sits atop an estimated 3.4 million metric tons of cobalt, almost half the world’s known supply. Hundreds of thousands of Congolese have moved to the formerly remote area in recent decades. Kolwezi now has more than half a million residents. Many Congolese have taken jobs at industrial mines in the region; others have become “artisanal diggers” or creuseurs. Cobalt is produced today from one of a number of metallic-lustred ores, such as cobaltite (CoAsS). The element is, however, more usually produced as a by-product of copper and nickel mining. Cobalt is primarily used in lithium-ion batteries and in manufacturing magnetic, wear-resistant, high-strength alloys. Between 15-30% of the cobalt from the DRC comes from informal or artisanal mines. Individuals on the periphery of sizeable industrial mining sites resort to makeshift methods to collect the cobalt. It is virtually impossible to separate artisanal cobalt from the products coming from industrialised mines. The formalisation of artisanal mining started in 2018 following years of accidents, human rights abuse and safety concerns. Cooperatives of artisanal miners are composed of 5 to 20 thousand in

Mit welcher Kameratechnik wurden die Bilder aufgenommen?
Ich verwende hauptsächlich Mittel- und Großformatkameras, oft mit Stativ. Manchmal erstelle ich Panoramafotos, indem ich mehrere Bilder zusammenfüge. Auch Drohnen und Luftaufnahmen wurden ausgiebig eingesetzt, um die Weite der Bergbaustätten und Landschaften einzufangen. Trotz des ersten Eindrucks sind die verschiedenen Formate Erweiterungen eines einzigen Formats.

Welche Hoffnungen verbinden Sie mit der diesjährigen LOBA-Auszeichnung?
Ich freue mich über die Möglichkeiten der Sichtbarkeit, die der Preis dem Projekt und der Geschichte geben wird. Der Übergang zu grüner Energie und die gerechte Verteilung von Ressourcen sind entscheidende Fragen. Eine verstärkte Debatte und Sichtbarkeit können die politischen Entscheidungsträger dazu bewegen, die notwendigen Maßnahmen zu ergreifen.

Davide Monteleone wurde 1974 in Potenza, Region Basilicata, Italien geboren und lebt heute in der Schweiz. Er hat einen Masterabschluss in Kunst und Politik der Goldsmith University London und ist als Kurator und Dozent in vielen öffentlichen und privaten Institutionen tätig. Seit mehreren Jahren beschäftigt er sich mit Klimathemen im Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Wirtschaft und Geopolitik. Er wurde vielfach ausgezeichnet, seine Arbeiten wurden zahlreich ausgestellt. Bereits 2020 war er mit seiner Serie Sinomocene für die LOBA-Shortlist nominiert. Mehr über seine Fotografie erfahren Sie auf seiner Webseite und seinem Instagram-Kanal.