SA champions honoured by new resources innovation & commercial achievement awards
South Australia’s innovators extraordinaire were honoured at a spectacular gala event last night, celebrating the State’s resources industry and its world class entrepreneurial champions.
The South Australian Resources Industry Awards are an initiative of the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy (SACOME) and were introduced this year. Winners of the two inaugural categories, the Statewide Super Innovation in Resources Award and the Ocean Partners Commercial Achievement Award, were announced at SACOME’s Annual Resources Industry Dinner held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Wednesday 20 April.
Two winners were presented with a Statewide Super Innovation in resources award, Imp Technologies, for its pioneering super fine crushing technology and OZ Minerals, for innovative Hydromet technology that significantly improves the quality of copper concentrate.
The Ocean Partners Commercial Achievement Award went to Havilah Resources, for its innovative funding model that enabled its Portia gold mine to come to fruition, commencing mining three months ahead of schedule. A high commendation in this category went to finalist Mechvac Engineering for its heap leaching demonstration plant, for BHP Billiton Olympic Dam and Bureau Veritas.
The awards were presented in the presence of industry, academia and government leaders, with Treasurer and Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy the Hon Tom Koutsantonis MP, who was at the event to award the Premier’s Community Excellence in Mining and Energy, also congratulating the winners of SACOME’s new awards.
Mr Koutsantonis was impressed with all the finalists, saying they were leaders in their industries, and demonstrated the importance of continual innovation to drive growth.
“These finalists should all be celebrated for the way they take advances in technology and apply them to their businesses in order to increase yields and reduce costs,” Mr Koutsantonis said.
SA’s resources industry remains critically important for South Australia as a key economic contributor and, despite the current downturn, employs close to ten thousand directly and provides hundreds of millions to the State each year through royalties and taxes, while providing business and regional benefits and more.
Jason Kuchel, Chief Executive of SACOME said “It is important that we all recognise these businesses that are commercial successes and those who have developed innovations to improve efficiencies, productivity or quality.”
“Contributions at this scale make a significant difference to our State economy including the provision of community services such as health and education.” Mr Kuchel said.
An esteemed judging panel including leaders within industry, research and government was selected, including Professor Bill Skinner, leader of the Minerals and Energy strand at the University of South Australia’s Future Industries Institute.
Professor Skinner commented “It was great to see smaller players amongst the finalists and some truly world class innovations. For the non-technical expert it would be hard to understand just how game changing for the global industry these innovations are.”
SACOME chose to focus its inaugural awards on innovation and commercial achievement, as these are critical to further productivity, with pioneering applications often having excellent export potential.
“We wanted to highlight that the resources industry is not just about digging holes in the ground.” Mr Kuchel said. “Our Australian mining sector has proven time and time again that it is driven by innovation - and that’s what puts this industry at the forefront globally.”
Awards finalists together with others heading up SA’s increasingly progressive resource sector, including world class innovators in the mining, engineering and technology space, will be showcased at an Innovation Summit to be hosted by SACOME in September this year.
“The summit is another first for SA and will bring together researchers, industry and government with the aim of sharing innovation, making the right contacts and increasing collaboration across these sectors.” Mr Kuchel said.
Winners
Statewide Super Innovation in Resources Award
Winner: OZ Minerals
Awarded for the company’s Hydromet technology that uses a new flowsheet arrangement to upgrade iron ore copper gold minerals concentrates and remove impurities, for a purer copper product which will also substantially reduce export costs. The innovation has game changing implications for OZ, who own the Prominent Hill mine near Coober Pedy, but also for its developments including the nearby Carrapateena development, together with potential application for many other copper developers.
Winner: IMP Technology
Awarded for its Super fine crushing technology for the mining and quarrying industries to cost effectively produce fine particles with dramatically reduced energy use. With rock crushing for the world’s minerals and quarrying industries making up 10% of the world’s energy use, this technology is touted as a game changer and can crush materials of almost any hardness as fine as 5 microns.
Ocean Partners Commercial Achievement Award
Winner: Havilah Resources
Awarded for Development of the Portia gold mine via an innovative mining and funding agreement with local mining contractor, Consolidated Mining & Civil. This will also help advance additional SA mines in Havilah’s suite of developments. The team at Havilah is led by Doctor Chris Giles, an Adelaide exploration geologist who co-founded the company over a decade ago and has been persistently progressing the team’s suite of South Australian minerals projects since.
High Commendation: Mechvac Engineering
The judges awarded a high commendation to Mechvac Engineering for its Heap Leach technology demonstration plant, collaboratively designed and built/installed for BHP Billiton Olympic Dam and Bureau Veritas.
South Australia’s innovators extraordinaire were honoured at a spectacular gala event last night, celebrating the State’s resources industry and its world class entrepreneurial champions.
The South Australian Resources Industry Awards are an initiative of the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy (SACOME) and were introduced this year. Winners of the two inaugural categories, the Statewide Super Innovation in Resources Award and the Ocean Partners Commercial Achievement Award, were announced at SACOME’s Annual Resources Industry Dinner held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Wednesday 20 April.
Two winners were presented with a Statewide Super Innovation in resources award, Imp Technologies, for its pioneering super fine crushing technology and OZ Minerals, for innovative Hydromet technology that significantly improves the quality of copper concentrate.
The Ocean Partners Commercial Achievement Award went to Havilah Resources, for its innovative funding model that enabled its Portia gold mine to come to fruition, commencing mining three months ahead of schedule. A high commendation in this category went to finalist Mechvac Engineering for its heap leaching demonstration plant, for BHP Billiton Olympic Dam and Bureau Veritas.
The awards were presented in the presence of industry, academia and government leaders, with Treasurer and Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy the Hon Tom Koutsantonis MP, who was at the event to award the Premier’s Community Excellence in Mining and Energy, also congratulating the winners of SACOME’s new awards.
Mr Koutsantonis was impressed with all the finalists, saying they were leaders in their industries, and demonstrated the importance of continual innovation to drive growth.
“These finalists should all be celebrated for the way they take advances in technology and apply them to their businesses in order to increase yields and reduce costs,” Mr Koutsantonis said.
SA’s resources industry remains critically important for South Australia as a key economic contributor and, despite the current downturn, employs close to ten thousand directly and provides hundreds of millions to the State each year through royalties and taxes, while providing business and regional benefits and more.
Jason Kuchel, Chief Executive of SACOME said “It is important that we all recognise these businesses that are commercial successes and those who have developed innovations to improve efficiencies, productivity or quality.”
“Contributions at this scale make a significant difference to our State economy including the provision of community services such as health and education.” Mr Kuchel said.
An esteemed judging panel including leaders within industry, research and government was selected, including Professor Bill Skinner, leader of the Minerals and Energy strand at the University of South Australia’s Future Industries Institute.
Professor Skinner commented “It was great to see smaller players amongst the finalists and some truly world class innovations. For the non-technical expert it would be hard to understand just how game changing for the global industry these innovations are.”
SACOME chose to focus its inaugural awards on innovation and commercial achievement, as these are critical to further productivity, with pioneering applications often having excellent export potential.
“We wanted to highlight that the resources industry is not just about digging holes in the ground.” Mr Kuchel said. “Our Australian mining sector has proven time and time again that it is driven by innovation - and that’s what puts this industry at the forefront globally.”
Awards finalists together with others heading up SA’s increasingly progressive resource sector, including world class innovators in the mining, engineering and technology space, will be showcased at an Innovation Summit to be hosted by SACOME in September this year.
“The summit is another first for SA and will bring together researchers, industry and government with the aim of sharing innovation, making the right contacts and increasing collaboration across these sectors.” Mr Kuchel said.
Winners
Statewide Super Innovation in Resources Award
Winner: OZ Minerals
Awarded for the company’s Hydromet technology that uses a new flowsheet arrangement to upgrade iron ore copper gold minerals concentrates and remove impurities, for a purer copper product which will also substantially reduce export costs. The innovation has game changing implications for OZ, who own the Prominent Hill mine near Coober Pedy, but also for its developments including the nearby Carrapateena development, together with potential application for many other copper developers.
Winner: IMP Technology
Awarded for its Super fine crushing technology for the mining and quarrying industries to cost effectively produce fine particles with dramatically reduced energy use. With rock crushing for the world’s minerals and quarrying industries making up 10% of the world’s energy use, this technology is touted as a game changer and can crush materials of almost any hardness as fine as 5 microns.
Ocean Partners Commercial Achievement Award
Winner: Havilah Resources
Awarded for Development of the Portia gold mine via an innovative mining and funding agreement with local mining contractor, Consolidated Mining & Civil. This will also help advance additional SA mines in Havilah’s suite of developments. The team at Havilah is led by Doctor Chris Giles, an Adelaide exploration geologist who co-founded the company over a decade ago and has been persistently progressing the team’s suite of South Australian minerals projects since.
High Commendation: Mechvac Engineering
The judges awarded a high commendation to Mechvac Engineering for its Heap Leach technology demonstration plant, collaboratively designed and built/installed for BHP Billiton Olympic Dam and Bureau Veritas.