Promoting the concept and principles of sustainable development at the micro level requires that industrial companies understand and improve approaches to managing corporate sustainability. Currently, economics does not provide a universal definition of what corporate sustainability is. With regard to the mining sector, corporate sustainability issues reflecting the viability, value, and sustainable development potential of companies have not yet been studied extensively. The article discusses the conceptual foundations of corporate sustainability; the characteristics and a classification of approaches to defining corporate sustainability; and the relationship between corporate sustainability, sustainable development at the micro level, and circular economy. By analyzing the example of Russia, the influence of the mining industry on the environmental, economic, and social development of both a country with a resource-based economy and individual mining regions is shown from the viewpoint of sustainability. The distinguishing features of mining companies, which include natural capital and mineral assets, are studied in the context of promoting corporate sustainability. It is proven that the effective corporate management of ESG factors results in environmental and social influence that goes in line with sustainable development requirements and serves as a foundation for corporate sustainability. A refined definition of corporate sustainability has been formulated, the specific features of corporate sustainability management in mining companies have been determined, and the specific features of corporate social responsibility have been studied. The issue of integrating circular economy elements into the corporate sustainability concept is discussed, and it is claimed that the inclusion of circular business models in the corporate strategies of mining companies will contribute to their corporate sustainable development and boost their contribution to the achievement of sustainable development goals.

The depletion of non-renewable natural resources (primarily mineral and energy resources) and its assessment is a problem that is analyzed based on the concept of sustainable development. Mineral resource depletion assessment is particularly important for resource-based economies. It provides for assessing the impact of mineral asset disposal that results from the suspension or termination of operations conducted by a mining company due to insurmountable circumstances. The results of such an event will be manifested at the national, regional, and local levels and felt by mining companies, suppliers, workers, the population of the territory, and other stakeholders. The study clarifies the attributes and essence of mineral resource depletion, analyzes the advantages and limitations of the existing tools for assessing mineral resource depletion, identifies depletion factors, describes a methodology for assessing mineral resource depletion, and contains a case study of a tin deposit. The results of the study contribute to the development of the theory on the depletion of non-renewable natural resources. They provide for assessing losses to social wellbeing that can be caused by stopping the use of profitable mineral reserves.

Energy landscapes in Asia and other regions are currently undergoing a transformation aimed at increasing the share of clean energy sources. This article analyzes and forecasts the electricity demand in Vietnam, examining existing constraints that necessitate the shift from coal to renewable energy sources. The rapid economic growth in Vietnam is driving a substantial surge in electricity demand, projected to reach 124 thousand MW by 2030 according to the National Electricity Plan, positioning Vietnam second in Southeast Asia. This surge poses a significant challenge to national energy security, given the impracticality of effective coal mining in the country and the imperative to develop renewable energy sources. Anticipating the changes in Vietnam’s energy mix by 2050, this study foresees a substantial reduction in dependence on coal production. Government investment and green energy investment funds such as JETP are strategically directed towards renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen energy, and efficient energy storage technologies. Consequently, this research substantiates the viability of an energy transition from coal to green energy in Vietnam. The article presents an assessment of the rate of replacing coal with renewable energy sources, taking into consideration various scenarios for economic development, energy consumption growth, and the utilization of renewable energy sources.

The condition of the oil and gas sector is characterized by the complication of geological settings, and there is more competition in energy markets due to the current trend towards decarbonization. These circumstances require oil and gas companies to become more flexible and improve their project economic feasibility studies. The purpose of the research was to develop a methodological approach for the economic evaluation of oil and gas projects that includes choosing and substantiating the choice of engineering solutions that can be used to make decisions on subsequent investing. A comparative analysis of various economic evaluation methods applied to oil and gas projects included the DCF model, DPNV model with modifications, binary discounting, and reverse discounting. Taking into account the specific features of oil and gas projects, the authors provide a rationale for using a risk-free rate to calculate project outflows and a combination of reverse rates to calculate inflows. In addition, the theory of real options was applied to assess and account for geological and technical risks. These risks cause changes in the production rate when making engineering decisions. Using the proposed methodological approach, oil and gas companies will be able to evaluate in more detail and explain the influence of engineering solutions on the net present value of the project. This is the result of better consideration of geological and technical risks. The proposed approach is relevant both before project implementation and during production.

China’s energy structure is dominated by fossil fuels, especially coal consumption, which accounts for a relatively high share. In January 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak affected the global coal market, and many countries experienced negative economic growth. Economic development requires energy consumption. In 2021, China set a target of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 in order to phase out the dependence of carbon emissions on economic development. Therefore, the aim of this article is to develop directions for the sustainable development of China’s coal industry. Based on the macroenvironment and situation analysis, the article concludes that, under the influence of geopolitics, China’s shortage of imported coal resources and China’s continuous rise in coal demand, the share of coal in China’s energy structure will not decrease significantly in the long-term. The main directions for the sustainable development of China’s coal industry are to ensure the safety of coal energy storage and improve the level of safety supervision; coordinate the development of regional energy; increase the clean, efficient, and low-carbon utilization of coal; and strengthen international coal strategic cooperation.

To achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), it is necessary to solve the problem of assessing and measuring energy sustainability performance. A popular indicator used for this purpose is the World Energy Council (WEC) energy sustainability index, or the Energy Trilemma Index, which is based on such key metrics as energy security, energy equity, environmental sustainability, and country context. Each of the four metrics, or dimensions, includes many indicators that depend on both internal and external factors. By combining a variety of indicators into integral ones, WEC ranks countries in terms of energy sustainability. However, what is not taken into account is how countries differ in terms of economic development, income, energy mix, renewables use, ownership in the energy sector, and other factors, and neither is the methodology itself disclosed by the developers. As a provider for all other sectors of the economy, the energy sector plays an important role in developing countries. Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, being members of the Andean Community, are neighbors and have similar economic conditions but lack transnational power grid interconnections, which hinders the development of a common energy market. In terms of energy sustainability, these countries’ ranks range from 45 to 101, according to the Energy Trilemma Index. The aim of the study is to develop a new methodology for assessing energy sustainability performance that will factor in the specific features of developing countries with a high share of hydroelectricity generation, and to calculate energy sustainability index indicators taking into account contemporary requirements for sustainable development, which include developing green and renewable energy and fostering decarbonization. This research reveals whether the countries’ energy sustainability indices correspond to their actual performance in energy development and identifies the factors influencing the values of the metrics in the Energy Trilemma Index. The methodology can be used to integrate the energy sectors of countries, as it allows for evaluating the state of the energy sector of several countries (for example, those of the Andean Community) as a whole.