Goldfields innovation hub opens

THE Chamber of Minerals and Energy (CME) WA has joined forces with the Cooperative Research Centre for Optimising Resource Extraction (CRC ORE) to establish a new mining innovation hub in the heart of Kalgoorlie.

The Kalgoorlie-Boulder Mining Innovation Hub brings together some of the country’s top engineers, scientists and mining experts to test new technologies aimed at revolutionising the way mineral deposits are mined to maximise profits and minimise environmental impacts.

The hub will also provide training for mining professionals with support from industry partners such as Curtin University’s WA School of Mines (WASM) and the Central Regional TAFE.

Other partners included METS Ignited, the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA) and the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

CME chief executive Reg Howard-Smith said the new hub would strengthen WA’s reputation as a world-leader in the extraction and processing of previous metals and cement its standing as a centre of excellence in mining education and research.

“CME is thrilled to be playing such an important role in this project, which will go a long way in ensuring the long-term sustainability and profitability of the industry,” Mr Howard-Smith said.