The South Australian Resources Sector
Providing critical resources for today and the future
The South Australian resources sector underpins life as we know it, supplying us with the minerals, metals, and energy sources needed to build our homes, charge our phones, power our electric cars, run our businesses, and provide life-saving healthcare. 

​Our state’s resources are allowing us to push the boundaries of science, automation, and robotics, supplying valuable materials, such as copper and silver, used in everything from  washing machines and Smart TVs to low-orbit nanosatellites and the latest space technology.

​South Australian resources also enable basic infrastructure and building supplies including iron ore for bridges and railways, cement for roads and buildings, copper for electrical wiring, and mineral sands like zircon which is used in the production of ceramics and digital printing.  

Enabling the transition to Net Zero, the resources sector is taking active steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It provides the resources the world needs to decarbonise, producing metals and minerals that are vital for electrification and renewable energy technologies including solar panels, wind turbines and batteries.
Resourceful Resources
South Australia is blessed with a number of valuable mineral and petroleum deposits including copper, gold, silver, uranium, iron ore, oil and gas.
​Every resource that is produced in South Australia, enriches lives and communities around the world. 

Click on the commodities below to learn more about the resources that are mined and produced in SA
Copper
Copper is essential to life and modern society,
used in EVs, healthcare, musical instruments and
even decorates Adelaide Oval.
Iron Ore 
Integral to the steel-making process, iron ore is one of the most sought-after commodities in the world.
Mineral Sands
The little known resource that is used in everything from toothpaste to the International Space Station.
Lead
One of the oldest metals known to humans,
​ lead is finding new uses in the modern world. 
Oil & Gas
Whether for cooking, heating or keeping
businesses running, the oil and gas industry
​ is what helps keep our country going.
Silver
A key ingredient for the world’s most
​efficient solar panels and transition lenses.
​
Uranium
The only zero-emissions energy source
​that will power our next generation submarines​.
Graphite
A critical mineral that is in high demand for powering electric vehicles and renewable energy​.
Limestone
Used as mortar since ancient times, Limestone is one of the most useful ​and versatile of all industrial minerals. ​
Hydrogen
The most abundant, lightest chemical in the universe, mainly used as a raw material for industry.
​Gold
The creator of civilisations throughout history and with a value that continues to grow.
​
Kaolin
An important raw material with numerous
​ uses​ and applications from make-up to ceramics.
Gypsum
An important and versatile mineral that is used to heal bones, fertilise farms, and help set cement​.
Zinc
Zinc is commonly found in nature
​ as a component of minerals.
​

Essential Resources for a Net Zero Future
The South Australian resources sector is committed to not only reducing its own carbon emissions but is enabling the community to do the same.
Resources vital for green energy shift.
Copper is making the transition to low emissions transport and renewable energy possible. 

Copper is an essential component of electric vehicles, electric motors, batteries, inverters, wiring and charging stations, and is also used for wind turbines and solar panels, supporting the world's green energy transformation. 

South Australia contains 69% of Australia's copper resources and is home to the largest copper mine in the country – BHP’s Olympic Dam – which is also the fourth largest copper deposit globally. Other South Australian copper miners include Hillgrove Resources which is in the process of fast tracking the development of its Kanmantoo Copper Mine in the Adelaide Hills and Rex Minerals, currently developing its Hillside Project on the Yorke Peninsula. 

​Learn more about South Australia's copper resource here. 
A new era for Green Steel. 
SACOME member company GFG Alliance is taking the next step in their decarbonisation journey with the purchase of a state-of-the-art electric arc furnace.

The new furnace will deliver a 90% reduction in direct carbon dioxide emissions from steelmaking expected by 2025 and will lift steelmaking capacity at Whyalla from 1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to over 1.5mtpa.

LIBERTY Steel, part of GFG Alliance, has also engaged global equipment suppliers for the installation of a 1.8mtpa Direct Reduction Plan in Whyalla to process local magnetite ore to produce low carbon iron. The DRP will initially use a mix of natural gas and green hydrogen as the reducing agent, before fully transitioning to green hydrogen as it becomes available at scale.

​A great step forward in the path to Net Zero and a new era for clean and green steelmaking, right here in South Australia.
Olympic Dam goes renewable.
“The world needs South Australia’s high-quality copper to build renewable technologies and infrastructure, and BHP is focused on producing that copper more sustainably,” says BHP Olympic Dam Asset President, Jennifer Purdie.  
​
​​BHP has signed a renewable Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Neoen, which is expected to meet half of Olympic Dam’s electricity needs from FY2026, based on current forecast demand, and allow Olympic Dam to record a Net Zero emission position for the contracted volume of supply. 

The project is expected to supply 70 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Olympic Dam and will support Neoen to construct the 203MW Goyder South Stage 1b Wind Farm. The wind farm is to form part of the larger Goyder Renewables Zone in South Australia, and will introduce new renewable generation into the South Australian electricity grid. 

Neoen is constructing a large-scale battery energy storage system in Blyth to support the PPA, which will also assist in improving the stability of the State's electricity grid.

​Construction and operation of the wind and battery project is expected to create approximately 250 construction jobs and 15 permanent jobs in South Australia.  

Everything comes from somewhere. ​If it didn't grow, it was mined. 

Australia’s Mining industry produces the minerals essential for our everyday lives.  Mobile phones, solar panels, modern medicine and electric vehicles are all minerals intensive.  Increasing demand for raw materials will not only require more mining but also safe, more productive and sustainable mining.

Following the success of the Minerals Council of Australia’s (MCA) 2019 publication, 30 Things, a guide to the minerals and metals essential for modern life, The Futurist Edition takes a peek into the future and the raw materials critical to the technologies at our fingertips, and on the cusps of our imaginations.

From quantum computing to smart housing, space exploration to cloud robotics, and even flying taxis – the research, materials and mechanics of emerging technologies would not be possible without Australia’s high quality minerals and the world-class workforce that mines them.

Powering the economy
The resources sector is the backbone of the South Australian economy.

15 SACOME member companies generated a record $10.7 billion in direct and indirect spending to the South Australian economy in 2021/22, the equivalent of 8.3% of the State's Gross State Product or $1 in every $12 in the economy.

The companies also supported over 42,000 full-time jobs, provided over $1 billion salaries and wages and contributed over $431 million to the State Government, helping to fund community infrastructure including schools, hospitals, and roads.

While many mining and resource operations are regionally based, the economic contribution of the resources sector has a whole-of-state benefit, supporting jobs, communities and suppliers across the State and all the way to the CBD.  Find out more about the economic contribution of the resources sector here.
Partnering with community
The resources sector is committed to working with and supporting local communities. 
Storytelling through Art. ​
SACOME member company Peak Iron Mines has partnered with Coober Pedy Area School, the Coober Pedy Clontarf Academy, the Alternate Learning Centre (ALC) and local Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatara (AMY) Native Title artists to design and deliver a Mural Project for display at Peak Iron's Windy Valley Camp. 

AMY Native Title artists Leah Brown, Jasmine Brown and Sarcha Taylor worked with representatives from the school, the Clontarf Academy, ALC and Peak Iron to design a beautiful mural which brought together individual pieces. The canvases were transported to Port Augusta where digital artist, Megan Collins,  digitally transferred the paintings onto metal sheets. The metal sheets were then transported back to the Windy Valley Camp and installed side-by-side onto a large shipping container to create the Mural Project. 

The Mural Project is admired by workers and visitors to the Windy Valley Campsite, improving the outdoor deck area and most importantly, providing an opportunity to promote and share stories about Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatara Nation Country. 
The South Australian resources sector acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout South Australia and recognise and respect their cultural heritage, beliefs, and relationships with the land. ​We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.