Introducing the winners of the 2024 Prospect Awards: Part one

Taking place as part of the WA Mining Conference and Exhibition for the first time, the 2024 Prospect Awards highlighted the resources sector’s best and brightest. Keep reading to discover part one of the winners.

Discovery of the Year

Amid the global energy transition, new critical minerals discoveries are always welcome.

And among the plethora of findings made in 2023 was high-grade nickel-copper-cobalt mineralisation at the Dogleg prospect in Western Australia.

The Dogleg prospect is situated within the Quick Shears group of tenements, where IGO and joint venture partner Buxton Resources are targeting ‘Nova-style’ magmatic nickel-copper sulphide mineralisation.

After being originally identified as an area of interest due to its magnetic features associated with the nearby Merlin nickel-copper-cobalt prospect, IGO’s exploration team drilled the first diamond hole at Dogleg in November 2023 by targeting the specific area identified with a ground electromagnetic survey.

The assay results showcased high-grade sulphides within a broader zone of low-to-moderate grade mineralisation.

The discovery was made by interpreting newly flown IGO-owned detailed aeromagnetic data. According to IGO, the drillhole’s deposit style is extremely rare in Australia, with the company’s Nova deposit being the best example.

The new discovery also proves the Kimberley region hosts significant and attractive polymetallic nickel sulphide deposits that could lead to greater exploration expenditure and potentially new critical minerals mines for Australia.

In recognising Dogleg’s significant contribution to the broader Australian mining industry, IGO was awarded the Discovery of the Year award at the 2024 Australian Mining Prospect Awards.

The award celebrates a significant discovery at either a greenfields or brownfields site.

The award is especially welcome amid the global nickel downturn, which was primarily caused by a supply surplus and an increase in nickel supplies from countries like Indonesia and China.

Despite having to weather faltering nickel prices, IGO has continued to see great success at Dogleg.

The company drilled the second diamond hole at the prospect in February 2024, which established a broader zone of high-grade semi-massive mineralisation that ground electromagnetic surveys didn’t detect.

The drillhole – which was drilled 65m down-plunge from the November 2023 hole – returned 2.63m at 4.17 per cent nickel, 0.83 per cent copper, 0.14 per cent cobalt from 233.63m in assays.

IGO said the second drillhole supports the sulphide mineralisation species logged as being a combination of pyrrhotite, pentlandite and chalcopyrite.

Once Western Australia’s wet season ends, IGO plans to build off the second drillhole by continuing to drill the Dogleg system towards a maiden resource.

IGO specifically plans to explore the host geological belt along the strike to identify more nickel-copper-cobalt discoveries now that the miner believes it has uncovered a district or ‘camp’ of deposits.

The company believes continued exploration could lead to multiple new nickel mines producing Class 1 nickel – which contains a minimum of 99.8 per cent nickel – for IGO and the wider Australian community.

When hosting its 2024 strategy day in September 2024, IGO managing director and chief executive officer Ivan Vella said electrification is at the core of the global energy transition.

“To drive the transition, the world is going to need to discover and deliver a lot more battery materials,” Vella said. “This is where IGO has a significant role to play.”

Australian Mine of the Year

The Roy Hill iron ore mine has long been described as a jewel of Western Australia’s mining sector.

Located 1200km north of Perth in the Pilbara, Roy Hill is one of Australia’s largest iron ore mines, employing more than 3000 people across its Perth, Port Hedland, and Newman operations.

As the mine evolves, Roy Hill has had the opportunity to embed a range of technologies to optimise delivery across its supply and demand chain, leading to the site being dubbed a ‘smart mine’.

“Our use of technology and innovative thinking have become defining features of our iron ore operation,” Roy Hill said.

“We’re improving productivity and safety across operations through automation and integration; in particular through our remote operations, all drill rigs are now fully automated.”

Roy Hill regularly produces around 60 million tonnes of iron ore per annum and ships this vital commodity around the world.

“At Roy Hill, our vision is to be a high performing iron ore business where people contribute, realise their full potential and help to build the best mining company in Australia,” the company said. “This vision is not only our aspirational statement of what we want to be, but also helps set the direction for our success.”

Roy Hill is also a safety-conscious mine, with operational safety, mental health and emotional wellbeing procedures continuously reviewed and updated.

“Roy Hill is committed to providing a safe, productive and healthy work environment for all employees, contractors, family members and visitors to our sites,” the company said.

“From physical health and safety onsite, to feeling supported as part of the community, we all have a responsibility to take care of one another.

“We take the wellbeing of our people very seriously, with a number of initiatives and programs in place to support this.”

It was for its drive towards a sustainable, safe and profitable mine that Roy Hill was awarded the Australian Mine of the Year award at the 2024 Australian Mining Prospect Awards for the second year in a row.

The award celebrates a site that not only reached production goals, but also one that has implemented outstanding safety controls, environmental programs and has shown its capacity to innovate to drive the industry forward.

“Roy Hill is humbled to have been recognised as Australian Mine of the Year for a second straight year,” the company said.

“Having earlier being named the winner of the Excellence in Mine Safety Award, the Australian Mine of the Year rounded out a wonderful evening, reinforcing the commitment and efforts of Roy Hill’s people, and the outstanding leadership of executive chairman Gina Rinehart.

“Under the leadership of Rinehart, Roy Hill has an unwavering commitment to its people and operational excellence which has again been recognised by its peers.”

The Australian Mine of the Year award was proudly sponsored by Bonfiglioli.

Indigenous and Community Engagement Award

No one company can complete the mammoth task of operating a mine alone.

With each mine spanning thousands of kilometres and work needing to be done 24–7, it’s only natural that companies collaborate with each other when needed.

So when Mineral Resources (MinRes) needed help with road maintenance, dust mitigation, civil earthworks, load and haul rehabilitation and general site maintenance at its Wodgina lithium mine, it called on Buru Rehab to get the job done.

And it was this partnership that saw Buru Rehab take home the Indigenous and Community Engagement award at the 2024 Australian Mining Prospect Awards.

The award recognises collaboration between an Aboriginal-owned business or community organisation and mining and minerals processing companies operating within Australia.

Buru Rehab is a Kariyarra-majority Indigenous-owned business aiming to create sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships between Indigenous communities and mining companies.

The company was awarded the MinRes contract in November 2023 and has hit the ground running at the Western Australian mine.

“Employing Indigenous people to work on mine sites and be proactively engaged in rehabilitation of Country enables quality outcomes for our people and our Country,” Buru Rehab owner George Todd said.

“Along with civil works, Buru Rehab will undertake rehabilitation for MinRes’ exploration and mining activities, restoring the land and supporting it for future uses.”

Buru Rehab and MinRes’ partnership has led to significant community benefits, including employing an additional 12 Indigenous employees and acquiring new equipment through MinRes’ finance facility. This has expanded Buru Rehab’s capabilities, allowing the company to undertake larger projects.

Todd and his team are active promoters of community engagement, prioritising the involvement of local Indigenous people and businesses in each Buru Rehab project.

“We’re pleased that Buru Rehab is providing subcontracting opportunities for other Indigenous owned businesses, giving them security to invest in their own machinery and equipment,” MinRes general manager – communities and heritage Heath Nelson said.

“This contract will have positive flow-on effects for years to come, offering ongoing employment opportunities for people living in the Pilbara.”

Commenting on the Prospect Awards win in a Facebook post, MinRes said the company was proud of its continued work with Buru Rehab.

“We were proud to nominate Buru Rehab for this award, which recognises collaboration between an Aboriginal-owned business and mining companies,” the post said.

“George Todd was on hand to accept the award and acknowledged our partnership while emphasising the importance of rehabilitating Country once mining activities are complete.”

With discussions about expanding the contract scope continuing, the MinRes and Buru Rehab partnership is a testament to what companies can achieve when they put their minds together.

The Indigenous and Community Engagement Award was proudly sponsored by Sandvik.

Excellence in IIoT Application

The mining industry is increasingly reliant on the latest innovations surrounding Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to optimise operations, streamline workflows, and achieve greater productivity.

In recognition of this vital field, the 2024 Australian Mining Prospect Awards celebrated a key player in the industry through the Excellence in IIoT Application award.

Orica Digital Solutions was the worthy winner of the 2024 award for its BlastIQ Underground application.

This innovative application provides underground mining operations with comprehensive tools to efficiently manage the entire blasting process, from planning to post-blast analysis.

BlastIQ Underground is designed to give mining operators real-time feedback on blast design and execution.

Through its integration of drilling data, digital blast design, and post-blast performance analysis, the application empowers engineers to make data-driven decisions that improve operational efficiency.

The software also helps reduce environmental impacts by minimising ground vibrations and air overpressure during blasting activities, making it a crucial tool for mines that prioritise sustainable practices.

BlastIQ Underground not only improves blast execution by digitally sharing blast designs and providing precision recharging, but also offers third-party interoperability, allowing for integration with mine planning systems.

The volumetric analysis feature enhances ore recovery by capturing material volumes and analysing the effects of drilling and blasting on mineral extraction.

29Metals’ Golden Grove copper-lead-silver-zinc-gold mine in Western Australia was able to put BlastIQ Underground to the test recently, experiencing exactly how the application can transform workflow.

Golden Grove utilises sublevel open stoping for efficient ore extraction. However, as the mine’s production advanced to greater depths, traditional paper-based processes for recording blasthole conditions became inefficient, leading to delays and reduced productivity.

Recognising the need for a more streamlined approach, Golden Grove partnered with Orica Digital Solutions to trial BlastIQ Underground.

Over a three-month period, the application proved to be an invaluable asset to the mine’s drill and blast teams.

Using the BlastIQ Underground desktop application, the BlastIQ mobile platform for underground operators, and BlastIQ Insights, those stationed at Golden Grove were able to experience the application first-hand.

Throughout the trial, 30 production blasts and over 800 hole measurements were recorded, demonstrating the effectiveness of digitalising the process.

The traditional method of manually transferring paper-based data was eliminated, saving up to 1.5 hours per blast – a 75 per cent improvement in time efficiency.

The system also allowed Golden Grove’s surface-based engineers to access real-time hole-state data within minutes, enabling faster and more accurate updates to final blast designs.

By providing a single-source repository for design and execution data through cloud storage, BlastIQ Underground enabled Golden Grove to make informed decisions on blast designs, optimising both short-term execution and long-term blasting strategies.

“Good blast design is absolutely critical (because) we blast three to four times a week, and having access to instant data means that you are making informed decisions,” 29Metals senior engineer Naryan Paudel said.

The success of BlastIQ Underground at Golden Grove highlights the potential of this IIoT application to revolutionise underground mining operations.

With features such as streamlined mine scheduling, real-time audits, and blast investigations, the software offers mining companies a significant competitive edge by improving safety, efficiency, and productivity.

As demand for critical minerals continues to grow, tools like BlastIQ Underground will be instrumental in helping mines maximise their output while minimising costs and environmental impact.

The Excellence in IIoT Application award was proudly sponsored by ifm.

Excellence in Environmental Management and Sustainability

As we edge closer to 2030, ways to minimise emissions and rehabilitate land are at the forefront of all environmental discussions in the mining industry.

At the heart of these discussions is innovation, and that is exactly what the Excellence in Environmental Management and Sustainability award recognises.

The award recognises a mine, company or project that has developed or conducted a pioneering, environmentally-focused sustainable program to protect, preserve and/or rehabilitate the natural environment, and contributes to decarbonisation and waste and emissions reduction.

BHP’s West Musgrave project in Western Australia took out the category at the 2024 Australian Mining Prospect Awards, thanks to its land access and disturbance permit (LADP) system.

First implemented in October 2022, the LADP system facilitates optimal engagement with the Ngaanyatjarra community, the Traditional Owners of the land in which West Musgrave is situated.

The LADP system provides the Ngaanyatjarra People with knowledge of ground disturbance activities within West Musgrave while protecting known priority flora species and fauna species within the site and ensuring compliance with government and community commitments.

The system was developed to preserve heritage and minimise environmental and cultural impacts arising from West Musgrave’s development.

“The Ngaanyatjarra People have a deep and enduring connection to Country and as the first large-scale industrial development in the West Musgrave region, the West Musgrave project has an ethical obligation to minimise disturbance to the greatest extent practicable and operate in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner,” BHP manager – environment and secondary approvals Shoanne Labowitch said.

Since its implementation, the LADP system has delivered an array of benefits, including improving standard land access control methodologies and providing greater assurance of environmental protection and compliance.

Current land access and disturbance data management systems are more labour-intensive and prone to human error. The LADP system reduces risk of human error though workflow management, including where Traditional Owner involvement is required.

The system also reduces risks of unintentionally impacting on significant heritage through the automatic removal of prohibited and restricted areas from proposed activity areas, increasing efficiency by using algorithms that compare actual and approved clearing areas.

Closure domain and clearing area reporting has also been made easier by utilising web-based software solutions with minimal coding requirements, including BlackSky.

Implementation of BlackSky provides automated assurance and reporting data verification, increasing operational efficiency and providing robust assurance by reducing human error.

BlackSky’s tasking system can also be fitted to the LADP system.

The LADP system is also supported by applications such as RightStep, ESRI ArcGIS Online, Amazon Web Services’ Lambda script, and MS Power Automate, making the LADP solution a one-stop shop for managing land access permitting and disturbance tracking.

To date, 47 LADPs have been issued and numerous contractors have worked and continue to work under these LADPs to deliver a diverse range of scopes.

“During this time, no unauthorised ground disturbance or material or significant environmental events have occurred on the West Musgrave project, in part due to the project team’s strong sustainability focus underpinned by the LADP approval, assurance and verification processes,” Labowitch said.

“The LADP system has been instrumental in delivering the outstanding environmental and cultural heritage performance of the West Musgrave project and will remain an essential tool throughout the life of the project.”

The Excellence in Environmental Management and Sustainability award was proudly sponsored by Sefar Filter Specialists.

These features appeared in the December 2024 issue of Australian Mining.