South Australia will play host to a number of industry professionals at Underground Operators 2025.
After a successful event in 2023, AusIMM’s Underground Operators (UgOps) Conference is back and bigger than ever.
Held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from April 7–9, UgOps 2025 is the premier place for industry professionals to gather and discuss some of the most important topics in the underground mining industry right now.
Glencore project manager and UgOps committee member Alastair Grubb spoke to Australian Mining about what attendees can expect from the bumper three-day event.
“There’s no hiding the fact that underground mining is becoming more challenging,” Grubb said. “Grades are lower, we need to mine deeper, and the complexity of orebodies is increasing.
“Because of this, UgOps 2025 is one of the most important events on the calendar; it’s all about sharing knowledge to help one another.”
With keynote speeches from some of the most respected names in the industry – including Adriatic Metals interim chief executive officer and BHP former chief technical officer Laura Tyler and Vale Base Metals chair Mark Cutifani – and a large number of submitted abstracts, there will be something for everyone at the event.
“I’m particularly keen to read papers about novel approaches to new technology,” Grubb said.
“We’ve also got really experienced executive-level leaders who are coming to give keynotes on their work in the underground sector.
“We’re giving the audience a chance to be a part of the discussion, with a question-and-answer format embedded in some of the talks.”
Image: AusIMM
UgOps 2025 will cover a wide range of topics, from health and safety to the global decarbonisation journey.
Grubb said Adelaide provides the perfect backdrop to these important discussions.
“South Australia is home to numerous Tier 1 operations, including BHP’s Olympic Dam copper mine,” he said.
“Previously, UgOps has been held in Brisbane and Perth, but Adelaide is due its turn given the importance of its mining industry and the development of new assets there.”
Olympic Dam is one of the largest underground mines in the country, hitting production rates of over 300,000 tonnes of copper per year.
It’s also a technologically advanced mine, helping to set the standard for underground ore recovery across the country.
“By coming to UgOps, attendees will get the chance to learn about and leverage the work companies like BHP have been doing to progress in difficult mining conditions,” Grubb said.
“I would encourage anyone involved in the industry, no matter what country they’re from, to come along and get involved.”
Given the wealth of abstract submissions, UgOps 2025 is providing the perfect platform for sharing underground operational experiences and industry best practice.
“We’ve had the largest number of abstracts submitted in UgOps history, with a lot of topic diversity,” Grubb said.
“Mining can be an isolating industry, so events like this are important to bring everyone together and share knowledge. And having a little fun in the process doesn’t hurt.”
And fun is firmly on the cards at UgOps 2025, with AusIMM organising an in-house photography competition and a number of conference tours.
“People can choose between touring several sites in South Australia, Broken Hill or Bendigo,” Grubb said. “We’re also encouraging amateur photographers to submit photos from their underground assets and a professional photographer will be judging the competition.
“It’s hard to get nice photos of underground operations, so it will be good to see pictures of some of the assets we’ve heard so much about.
“UgOps is really continuing to push the boundaries of a typical conference, and we’re passionate about ensuring ideas on underground mining are not only shared across Australia, but also across the world.”
UgOps 2025 will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from April 7–9.
This feature appeared in the November 2024 issue of Australian Mining.
