The annual awards are run by the Western Australian government, and recognise the use of innovative solutions and new technology to minimise the environmental impacts of resource projects in the state.
The finalists this year are Chevron Australia; Fortescue in conjunction with Ziltek and PT Environmental services; KCGM; Pilbara Mesquite Management Committee; Pilbara Ports Authority; Premier Coal and Golder Associates; Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s utilities division; and St Barbara.
A collaborative effort between Premier Coal and Golder the former Western Area coal mining pit-lake in the South West has been used for a trial to validate the benefits of flow-through systems.
Degraded local waters have been allowed to mix with acidic waters in the former mine area to show flow-through can improve environmental conditions in the lake without effecting the values of the nearby Collie River.
Chevron is in the running for a micro-tunnel linking its Wheatstone natural gas development to a recently constructed 225km pipeline, which reduces its impact on the mangroves of the nearby Ashburton River delta.
Meanwhile, Fortescue, Ziltek and PT have been nominated for the use of Ziltek’s RemScan technology at its Chichester and Solomon iron ore hubs which allows for real-time in-field analysis of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils, reducing the need for costly and time-consuming laboratory analysis.
The emissions reduction project run by KCGM at its Gidji processing plant near Kalgoorlie was also nominated.
Gidji has historically roasted sulphide ore, but in 2015 KCGM installed a large, ultra-fine grinding mill to replace the process, eliminating 100% of atmospheric stack emissions.
Not-for-profit Pilbara Mesquite Management Committee is a finalist for spearheading the development of resource company alliances to invest in weed management programs across the Pilbara region, which has resulted in the removal of vast areas of weeds from the landscape.
In the same region, Pilbara Ports Authority’s mangrove rehabilitation program incorporates a mangrove nursery, rehabilitation trials and research, and community engagement to preserve and maintain the integrity of the ecosystem.
Rio Tinto is in the running for its recently operational West Angelas Fuel Hub near Newman.
The hub exceeds statutory and regulatory environmental requirements through the use of a rail tank car unload facility, an oily water treatment system, bulk storage tanks, leak and overfill production, secondary containment and bunding, dewatering quick flush tanks and ground level product sampling cabinets.
Finally, St Barbara’s Gwalia absorption chiller upgrade near Leonora is also in the running for the Golden Gecko.
Due to the increasing depth of its Gwalia mine, St Barbara needed to increase the capacity of its cooling system, and did so through the use of Australian-first absorption refrigeration technology which converts waste heat energy from the power plant to cool air for the underground mine.
Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion said the finalists showcased WA’s world leading approach to environmental management.
“All finalists are extremely deserving of this recognition and I congratulate them on their outstanding leadership and innovation,” he said.
Marmion will announce the winner during a formal ceremony on October 29.
