2019 Premier’s Awards.
A meat processing plant generating electricity from wastewater, a company transforming landfill into fuel and a global geoscience data competition accelerating the process of mineral discovery are just some of the innovative projects recognised in this year’s Premier Awards in Energy and Mining.
Now in its eighth year, the Awards showcase how leading-edge technology and best practice in energy and mining can improve South Australia’s economic, environmental, health and social wellbeing.
This year saw a record-breaking number of high-calibre entries illustrating the dynamic and transformative work undertaken in the energy and mining sectors as well as the underpinning mining equipment, technology and services (METS).
At the gala dinner celebration on 15 November 2019, Premier Steven Marshall noted that several of the projects demonstrate new options to reuse and recycle products traditionally considered to be waste.
‘These companies show how there’s synergy between generating financial value with positive environmental outcomes and also between the resource sector and green, clean energy,’ the Premier said.
This year an innovation in health and safety category was added in partnership with SafeWork SA in recognition of leadership in safety and the priority we all place on valuing people to protect health and wellbeing.
Another first was the Young Achiever award highlighting a future generation of South Australian leaders who champion their profession and set high aspirations to motivate others.
The inaugural winner was Daniel Emes, a radiation safety trainer and managing director of Radiation Consulting Australia.
More about the awards
Watch videos of recipients discussing their projects
2019 Premier’s Awards winners and commendation recipients
Energy sector
Innovation: Transformational Innovation
- Winner: ElectraNet for the ‘Dalrymple Battery Energy Storage System’
- Commendation: Hydrostor: for the ‘Angas advanced compressed air energy storage’ project
Innovation: Productivity Improvement
- Winner: Teys Naracoorte for the ‘Covered anaerobic lagoon to operate a combined heat and power plant’ project
Teys Naracoorte won the Energy sector, Innovation: Productivity Improvement category for their ‘Covered anaerobic lagoon to operate a combined heat and power plant’ project. Biogas is produced and captured for use as a renewable source of energy for the company’s meat processing activity. (L-R): Kelly Pope, Amelia Simony, Premier Steven Marshall and Carl Duncan.
Innovation: Health and Safety
- Commendation: Enerven for the ‘Switch-ON Safety Program’
Diversity
- Commendation: Enerven for the ‘Diversity and inclusion at Enerven’ program
Mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector
Innovation: Productivity Improvement
- Winner: CDE Meta for the ‘Turning iron ore waste into high value product’ project
- Commendation: Resolution Systems for the ‘MaxMine: turning technology into tonnes’ program
Resources sector
Innovation: Environmental Management
- Winner: Adelaide Brighton Cement for the “Adelaide Brighton Cement Refuse Derived Fuel Program’
- Commendation: BHP and Arid Recovery for the ‘Arid recovery’ program
- Commendation: SIMEC Mining for the ‘Innovation in dust source identification and monitoring’ program
Innovation: Health and Safety
- Winner: BHP for the ‘Underground Mining School of Excellence’
- Winner: Santos for the ‘Line of Fire Campaign’
Innovation: Productivity Improvement
- Winner: OZ Minerals and Unearthed for the ‘OZ Minerals Explorer Challenge’
- Commendation: Senex Energy for the ‘Birkhead horizontal drilling’ program
OZ Minerals and Unearthed won the Resources sector, Innovation: Productivity Improvement category for their OZ Minerals Explorer Challenge. Competitors had three months to develop new processes for mineral exploration and improve discovery rates at a site near the Prominent Hill mine. (L-R): Richard Scott, Kate Hobbs, Warrick Ranson, Richard Holmes, Premier Steven Marshall, Daniel Leinfelder, Holly Bridgwater (Unearthed), Gabrielle Iwanow, Andrew McCulloch and Ian Anderson.
Working with Communities
- Winner: BHP and Healthy Environs for the ‘Time for Wellbeing: community health partnership’ program
- Commendation: Beach Energy Limited and the South Australian Museum for ‘Fossil Fest’
Young Achiever
- Winner: Daniel Emes
- Finalists: Nima Sherpa, Jonathan Luu and Thomas Bruning
Young Achiever award. (L-R): Nima Sherpa (finalist), Thomas Bruning (finalist), Premier Steven Marshall, Daniel Emes (winner) and Jonathan Luu (finalist).
– Leisha Bond and Alisha Green, December 2019
