Dig Deep

In this episode, we chat with Denis Laviolette, Executive Chair of GoldSpot Discoveries. It is are a technology/investment company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to significantly improve mineral exploration targeting on both a regional and local scale. Denis is a geologist by background and has worked on three different continents, Canada, Norway, and Ghana during his career. He has a range of experience working on advanced mine operations, start-up mine management, grassroots exploration, and financing and acquisitions. Now he is bringing machine learning to the resources sector. KEY TAKEAWAYS Increasingly, mineral explores are using big data and machine learning to accelerate exploration. Goldspot´s focus is on reducing risk. Getting more out of the data you have is a big part of doing this. Their team consists of many specialised individuals that also have expertise in sub-disciplines for example geology or geophysics. They employ data scientists as well as geoscientists. Currently, the accuracy of the data they are given initially is not adequate. So, there is always an element of additional research necessary. The fact that, over the decades, geologists have used different names for the same rock means core samples need to be relogged to be useful. Goldspot has developed Litho Lens to speed up core relogging. It uses historic core photos. Data needs to be accurate. In the podcast, Denis shares several examples of how the flaws with the data can be recognised and how it can be cleaned up. Sometimes it is possible to use data from a neighbouring project to learn more about your asset. Goldspot is starting to offer its AI tools and software to individual companies so they can use them to speed up their exploration. BEST MOMENTS ‘With any particular mining project, the data sets are different, the problems that need solving are different. ´ ‘It's about that front end work, standardization, homogenization and cleaning up the data.’  EPISODE RESOURCES Email: denis@goldspot.ca Denis Laviolette LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/denis-laviolette-928a30a7 Website: https://goldspot.ca/ LinkedIn: GoldSpot Discoveries Corp. | LinkedIn Twitter: https://twitter.com/goldspotd?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/GoldSpot-Discoveries-Corp VALUABLE RESOURCES mailto:rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ http://www.mining-international.org https://twitter.com/MiningConsult https://www.facebook.com/MiningInternational.org https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69dGPS29lmakv-D7LWJg_Q?guided_help_flow=3 ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first world to third world countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.

DESCRIPTION In this episode, we chat with Anton Du Plessis, CEO of Zinnwald Lithium who are focused on fast-tracking the late stage, integrated Zinnwald Lithium Project in Germany to production. In order to supply a suite of high-value battery-grade lithium products to Europe’s rapidly growing EV and energy storage markets.   Anton has an investment banking background and is at the helm to take this project forward. He explains more about the European lithium battery market and how Zinnwald Lithium will play a major part in this.     KEY TAKEAWAYS   Zinnwald´s site is in an area where mining has taken place for 400+ years. There is plenty of local talent. Importantly, including industrial chemists, which is vital for lithium. The community is proud of its mining history and the fact that the lithium that will be mined will help the environment. Battery technology and the price have now reached the point where it is truly viable. The world wants to go from 3 million electric cars to over 100 million as quickly as possible. It is expected that demand for lithium will grow by 18 to 20% per annum on a compound annual growth basis. The EU wants to have a localised supply of lithium, so they are very supportive. The site should be able to produce other products too, including lithium carbonate and hydroxide. Zinnwald is on track to be the first European Lithium producer to start production.     BEST MOMENTS ‘In terms of energy density, charging capacity, batteries are now a workable product for certain new applications ´ ‘In Europe, battery factory capacity is set to grow from circa 30-kilowatt hours to 700 by the late 2020s.’   EPISODE RESOURCES Website: Zinnwald Lithium LinkedIn - Anton du Plessis - Chief Executive Officer - Zinnwald Lithium plc | LinkedIn Twitter: Zinnwald Lithium Plc (@ZinnwaldLithium) / Twitter   VALUABLE RESOURCES mailto:rob@mining-international.org  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/  http://www.mining-international.org  https://twitter.com/MiningConsult  https://www.facebook.com/MiningInternational.org  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69dGPS29lmakv-D7LWJg_Q?guided_help_flow=3      ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first world to third world countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/    Podcast Description   Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.

In this episode, we chat with Ali Haji, CEO of ION Energy who is an emerging leader in the exploration and development of Mongolia’s lithium salars. They are well poised to play a strong role as the world embarks upon the third wave of the clean energy revolution. The Company has one of the largest explorations, and the first lithium brine licences ever granted in Mongolia   Ali has a Computer Science degree and international experience in asset management, risk analysis and program governance. He discusses their exciting ION project in Mongolia and does so in some detail.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Only 3% of Mongolia has been explored, so there is huge potential. ION Energy has uncovered rich lithium brine resources. The growing demand for electric vehicles is bound to drive demand for lithium. Being close to China means that they are perfectly placed to take advantage of a huge market. Between them, the board has over 100 years of successful mining experience. Half the board are Mongolian.  Employing locals buys a lot of goodwill. 20% of the GDP is driven by mining. The company will continue to explore its assets throughout 2021. At the end of the year, they expect to bring in a strategic investor, which will generate a cash injection. That cash will open up the chance to buy more licences and enable the company to go into production. They are planning to provide an exit for their shareholders in 18 to 24 months. ION Energy plans to leverage green energy.     BEST MOMENTS ‘Lithium is going to make a comeback as a result of electric vehicle demand. ´ ‘As a team, we have over 100 years of exploration and mining success around the world.’   EPISODE RESOURCES ION Energy Press Release - https://www.ionenergy.ca/exploration-completed-at-ions-100-owned-baavhai-uul-project/ Website: https://www.ionenergy.ca LinkedIn: ION Energy | LinkedIn Facebook: Ion Energy - Inicio | Facebook Twitter: ion_energy (@ion_energy) / Twitter   VALUABLE RESOURCES mailto:rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ http://www.mining-international.org https://twitter.com/MiningConsult https://www.facebook.com/MiningInternational.org https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69dGPS29lmakv-D7LWJg_Q?guided_help_flow=3     ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first world to third world countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/   Podcast Description   Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.

In this episode, we chat to Max Denning, CEO & Director at Tungsten West who are restarting the World Class Hemerdon Tungsten-Tin Deposit located in South Devon, UK. They were incorporated in 2019 as a special purpose vehicle to purchase the Hemerdon Project out of receivership.    Max has over 10 years of experience in the mining sector mainly in commercial & finance, management consultancy and project delivery. He was previously GM Commercial & Finance of Pan African Minerals and now is in the hot seat at Tungsten West. In the podcast, he explains how things have moved forward since the operation was taken over from Wolf Minerals. They are looking to list on the AIM soon, so we discuss this plus why they decided to take on this exciting but challenging world-class operation.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Demand for tungsten and tin is growing. For many applications, e.g., wind turbines there is no viable alternative to tungsten. Taking a slightly different approach to the production of the tungsten and tin is part of the reason this formerly unprofitable asset is now viable again. The plant has been updated. Using new technology will produce significant yield increases. The ore will be pre concentrated before sending it for processing. That means much higher yields. Tungsten West is now working more closely with the local community and, so far, have had a good response. The source of the noise issue that was a big problem for the community and former owners has been identified. Fortunately, there are several viable ways to solve that issue. The expectation is to be in full production at Hemerdon in 2022. Tungsten West is exploring other opportunities in the Southwest of the UK. BEST MOMENTS ‘We have strong contacts. Specifically, in metallurgy, people who have a strong focus on Tungsten. ´ ‘Now that the plant is in care and maintenance, we have been able to go in there and make the fundamental changes that are required.’ ‘Tungsten is an enabling metal. Without tungsten, you don´t have many industries at all.’   EPISODE RESOURCES Website - https://www.tungstenwest.com/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/tungsten-west-limited Twitter - Tungsten West Ltd. (@TungstenWest) / Twitter VALUABLE RESOURCES mailto:rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ http://www.mining-international.org https://twitter.com/MiningConsult https://www.facebook.com/MiningInternational.org https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69dGPS29lmakv-D7LWJg_Q?guided_help_flow=3 ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first world to third world countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/   Podcast Description   Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.

In this episode, we chat to James Sykes, who is CEO and Director of Baselode Energy, a fully funded Uranium exploration company that has achieved resounding success within the region. For example, holding a portfolio of highly prospective uranium exploration properties in the eastern side of the Athabasca Basin.   James has over 10 years of experience in uranium exploration and discovery in the Athabasca Basin. His experience has also enabled him to lead the technical team for NexGen Energy, to make the Arrow discovery during the first 3 drill campaigns - the largest development-stage uranium deposit in Canada. James, a geologist by trade discusses his 1.0 and 2.0 thesis models around uranium exploration. As well as what he and the company are looking to achieve in the uranium space.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Baselode Energy is only a year old, but the team has decades of experience and success when it comes to Uranium exploration. They are fully funded. The Uranium market has not been this hot for about 15 years now.  Uranium has always been important for green energy. But there is stigma surrounding its use. This perception is changing. We have more nuclear reactors now than we did 20 years ago.  The supply of uranium has not kept pace. In fact, mines have closed, so the conditions are right for the price to climb. Baselode Energy is looking in areas where glaciers have removed surface rocks to great depths so that they do not have to dig too far. James and his team have tapped into new aerial scanning techniques to help them to identify the most promising areas. The world´s use of electricity is increasing steeply. China, India, and Russia are all building new reactors and increasing the capacity of their existing ones. Baselode Energy has the lowest number of shares of their peers meaning that when the price goes up investors really feel the benefit. Supply of Uranium is going to be tight for a while.  Open-pit uranium mines take circa 8 years to come on stream, underground typically it takes decades. Baselode has 3 areas, which they are exploring at speed. They are scheduled to start drilling this year on 2 of their sites and the other one in 2022. BEST MOMENTS ‘We are looking for high-grade uranium because we know that is what makes the deposits tick. ´ ‘and nuclear has again been touted as being green. But we´ve got to get over that fear hurdle.’ ‘It is not a question of if uranium will come back, it is a question of when uranium comes back.’ EPISODE RESOURCES Email: info@baselode.com Email: jsykes@uraniumgeologist.com LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/baselode-energy Twitter: https://twitter.com/BaselodeE Website: https://baselode.com   VALUABLE RESOURCES mailto:rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ http://www.mining-international.org https://twitter.com/MiningConsult https://www.facebook.com/MiningInternational.org https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69dGPS29lmakv-D7LWJg_Q?guided_help_flow=3 ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first world to third world countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/   Podcast Description   Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.

In this episode, we chat to Steve Curtis, CEO of Caledonia Mining, a profitable cash generative gold producer with a strong growth profile. Their primary asset is the Blanket Mine in Zimbabwe. They are listed on both the NY and London Stock Exchanges under the symbol (CMCL)   Steve is an accountant by background with over 30 years of experience. He has been in the mining industry for over 15 years and has been the head of the company since 2014. We talk about the increased Mineral Resource and Mineral Reverses at the Blanket Mine and their big infrastructure project, Central Shaft which is now in operation. We also discuss mining in Zimbabwe and how they navigated their way through the turmoil that the country has experienced over the past decade.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Steve´s accounting background has helped Caledonia Mining to navigate hyperinflation and a lack of foreign currency. He explains how in the podcast. The government is putting in place dollar retention schemes to help exporters, which will make the country more attractive for mining investment. Caledonia Mining Corp is Jersey registered, which is beneficial to shareholders. From a geological point of view, Zimbabwe is a great location which is one of the main reasons they are expanding there. Drilling and exploration of their other sites are ongoing. The plan is to stay in gold and to become a far larger producer. Investing in infrastructure has enabled them to mine deeper and across far more faces. Blanket mine still has plenty of reserves to exploit. Zimbabwe has a great workforce and investors are very welcome there. The infrastructure, roads etc. are still in good condition. Investing in solar is solving the power constraint issue and reducing the environmental impact their mining operation has. At this time, the economics of storing excess power in batteries is not right. But, they are working to address that issue. The Blanket mine is self-financing. Blanket mine staff and the community are both shareholders.     BEST MOMENTS ‘A company´s cash flow statement is its most meaningful statement. ´ ‘Our intention has always been to reward shareholders with a good dividend stream.’   EPISODE RESOURCES Website: https://www.caledoniamining.com/ Email: info@caledoniamining.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/caledoniamining     VALUABLE RESOURCES mailto:rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ http://www.mining-international.org https://twitter.com/MiningConsult https://www.facebook.com/MiningInternational.org https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69dGPS29lmakv-D7LWJg_Q?guided_help_flow=3     ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first world to third world countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/   Podcast Description   Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.

In this episode, we chat with Mike Hodgson, CEO of Serabi Gold. An exploration and production company involved in the evaluation and development of gold deposits in Brazil.   Mike is a geologist by background and has worked across Europe and South America. Working for the likes of ACA Howe International Ltd, Rio Tinto and Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Ltd. His expertise is in narrow vein underground mining operations. He is here today to talk about Serabi gold, their recent acquisition and plans for development and exploration for Coringa, mining in Brazil and how to overcome negativity over the recent tailings issues in Brazil.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Small underground mining is challenging. It is all about quality, not quantity. Done right it is highly viable. Bringing Coringa on stream is creating the critical mass that Serabi Gold needs. Serabi Gold is investing in exploration around Polita. Coringa is planning to start its first blast in July 2021. The results are good, so there is potential for 80,000, maybe more, ounces. Brazil consists of 26 states, each of which operates differently. The government is actively looking for companies to operate there. So, at the state level things move fast and setting up there is not that difficult. Currently, even tiny, dry tailing dams are having to meet the same standards as the huge and potentially dangerous dams that are always wet. Serabi Gold has $70 million in the bank, is robust, making money and the gold price is up too, which boosts profitability.   BEST MOMENTS ‘Small is good, small is beautiful. It certainly works for us. ´ ‘You basically squeeze the water out of the tailings and actually have sand. Then you just stack it’   EPISODE RESOURCES Website - https://www.serabigold.com/ Email: contact@serabigold.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/serabi_gold   VALUABLE RESOURCES mailto:rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ http://www.mining-international.org https://twitter.com/MiningConsult https://www.facebook.com/MiningInternational.org https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69dGPS29lmakv-D7LWJg_Q?guided_help_flow=3   ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first world to third world countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace.   CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/   Podcast Description   Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.  

In this episode, we chat with Anthony Milewski, Chairman of Nickel 28, an innovative battery metal focused investment vehicle. Nickel 28´s current main focus is on metal streaming and royalty agreements. They offer investors exposure to the metals that are integral to the key technologies that the electric vehicle and energy storage markets need.   Anthony is an entrepreneur with a background in Finance and Law. So, apart from talking about Nickel 28, he discusses and informs us about carbon credits and carbon footprints. In particular, how its introduction into the mining industry is changing the way things are done.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Get in early with metals and commodities. Understandably, demand for the metals that go into batteries is set to grow fast. With the streaming and royalty model, you have exposure to the commodity price but have no operating exposure. Diversifying across assets and jurisdictions has benefits. Royalty agreements secure investors a % of revenue. There are many different permutations to consider. Streaming is linked in some way to the physical commodity. Anthony explains in more detail, in the podcast. There are two markets for carbon (emissions markets). The regulated and the voluntary markets. The voluntary market is set to dwarf the regulated market. Anthony covers how the voluntary market in detail. ESG standards mean that most mining companies will be involved in the carbon market. Supply and demand dictate the price of carbon credits. The price of carbon keeps going up, which makes it a potentially good investment. Carbon will become an important feature of the balance sheet. Carbon footprint is set to become a significant part of any investor’s decision process. Anthony explains why the price of nickel is likely to rise. BEST MOMENTS ‘Try to invest in the metals and commodities early on. ´ ‘Carbon is going to become an important feature of the balance sheet.’   EPISODE RESOURCES Twitter - https://twitter.com/a_milewski   VALUABLE RESOURCES mailto:rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ http://www.mining-international.org https://twitter.com/MiningConsult https://www.facebook.com/MiningInternational.org https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69dGPS29lmakv-D7LWJg_Q?guided_help_flow=3 ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first world to third world countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/   Podcast Description   Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.

In this episode, we chat with Diane Mather, who specialises in tunnelling. Apart from working for Inland Rail as the design manager, she is also the chair for the Australian Tunnelling Society. She has worked on multiple rail-related tunnelling projects as well as in several mining settings.   Diane was introduced to us by Michael Moore having studied together at Camborne School of Mines. She studied for a Geology, Geotechnical, and Tunnelling degree. Diane is on the podcast to discuss all things tunnelling with an emphasis on mining and how they combine and interact. We talk about the main differences and similarities between tunnelling & mining. As well as what technologies and innovation mining and tunnelling have in common. Plus, much more.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Diane has worked for numerous mines as well as on other types of tunnelling projects. Mining design is temporary compared to infrastructure tunnels. Mine structures are usually easier to build because there is no other infrastructure to work around e.g., sewers. Mechanised tunnel building is a lot faster than drill and blast. Some issues need to be overcome before the use of mechanised tunnelling machines becomes more common in the mining industry. Issues that are discussed in the podcast, Tunnelling is becoming more popular because it reduces the impact infrastructure has on the neighbourhood. Often tunnels are the only practical option in areas of high-density population. Many mining industry innovations have been adopted for tunnelling. Several examples are discussed in the podcast.  Mines are increasingly using LIDAR and GIS systems to map and manage their projects. These tools also have a role in managing the relationship with the public. Mines are taking the lead in the use of autonomous vehicles. An approach tunnellers are starting to adopt. Automation is greatly reducing the risks for both industries. For miners transport of their products from the mine is a major issue. A possible solution is discussed. BEST MOMENTS ‘I fly in and out of some of the best mining and infrastructure projects in Australia. ´ ‘The instrumentation, monitoring and geological mapping that´s been used in mining have been implemented in tunnelling.’ ‘A mechanised tunnelling machine is a big, long lead time procurement item.’   EPISODE RESOURCES Diane Mather - QLD Chapter Chair - Australian Tunnelling Society | LinkedIn The Australian Tunnelling Association Website - https://www.ats.org.au/ Details of ATS committee members - https://www.ats.org.au/about-us/committee-members/   VALUABLE RESOURCES mailto:rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ http://www.mining-international.org https://twitter.com/MiningConsult https://www.facebook.com/MiningInternational.org https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69dGPS29lmakv-D7LWJg_Q?guided_help_flow=3   ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first world to third world countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/   Podcast Description   Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.

In this episode, we chat to James Withall, CEO of Rupert Resources who are a junior miner with advanced exploration and near-term production potential in Northern Finland James, a geologist by background has over 20 years of experience in mining. Working in the field and the investment space. We discuss his journey and how Rupert Resources has evolved. Talking about their Ikkari discovery, their Pahtavaara mine, and what potential Finland has as a mining jurisdiction. KEY TAKEAWAYS Rupert Resources is for the most part a mineral exploration company, but they now also working the assets they own. They bought their Northern Finland asset right at the bottom of the market. There is a lot of potential in Northern Finland. It is ripe for large-scale exploration Finland is an easy place to get to and travel around. There is plenty of 100% renewable energy available. Finnish workers work well and are very safety conscious. Finland is no more expensive to work in than places like Canada Being a small company allows you to move fast. There is no bureaucracy to hold you back. They have taken a fund manager approach and applied it to exploration. Rupert Resources' exploration results have been fantastic. They have just raised $48 million, so cash flow is not an issue. The geology of Finland is remarkably similar to West Africa, so the potential for finds is huge. The Ikkari discovery will be out to the market within the next 3 months. Rupert Resources now have new geological maps of their land, which is enabling them to do more focused exploration drills. They picked up another licence in the South, so will be exploring there too. BEST MOMENTS ‘There is a lot more potential in Northern Finland. ´ ‘Our job is to demonstrate the economic potential of whatever we find.’ ‘Finland just haven´t had that really intensive wave of modern commercial exploration.’ EPISODE RESOURCES Website - https://rupertresources.com/ Rupert Resources | LinkedIn Twitter - https://twitter.com/RupertResources Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rupertresources VALUABLE RESOURCES rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ www.mining-international.org https://twitter.com/MiningConsult https://www.facebook.com/MiningInternational.org https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69dGPS29lmakv-D7LWJg_Q?guided_help_flow=3 ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first world to third world countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.