Country Award

Sponsor: Aspermont UK
 
Winner: Northern Ireland
 
Northern Ireland - Previously thought to be inaccessible to the industry, but in October 2007 the government released data from the £6 million Tellus project. These new detailed geochemical and airborne geophysical datasets, which cover the whole country, have boosted mineral exploration to unprecedented levels. The number of licences has trebled since the data were released, and 68% of Northern Ireland is now under prospecting licence, or licence application.

Exploration Funding Award

Sponsor: PKF

Winner: Discovery Metals

Discovery Metals Ltd - Raised A$8.2 million through the sale of 19.5 million shares to investors in Australia and Botswana for a bankable feasibility study at the Boseto copper project in Botswana. A resource of 49Mt has been reported, grading 1.2% Cu for an expected 23,500t/y copper.

Exploration Award

Sponsor: Sandvik Mining & Constructio

Winner: Donner Metals

Donner Metals Ltd (with Xstrata Zinc Canada, and supported by government's SIDEX Ltd partnership) - For Bracemac-McLeod zinc-copper volcanogenic massive sulphide discovery in northern Quebec's Matagami mining camp. Using 3D data integration, innovative new technology and diamond drilling the partners have identified new deposits in this prolific mining camp, especially the Bracemac and McLeod discoveries. In May, the partners reported a 23.7m drill intersection grading 5.6% copper and 11.5% zinc.

Development Funding Award

Winner: ZincOx Resources

ZincOx Resources plc - Raised US$120 million in debt finance for Yemen's first large-scale mining operation (the 70,000t/y Jabali zinc-oxide project). This was a limited recourse (only US$5.2 million to the company) six-year, high-yield (11.5%) bond, with bonus payment linked to the zinc price. Shortlisted because the funding suited the project (risk insurance was hard to get in Arabia, so a reward was incorporated to compensate for the exposure).

Mining Operation of the Year

Sponsor: RBC Capital Markets

Winner: Goldex (Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd)

Goldex (Agnico-Eagle Mines) - Production commenced in April 2008, and recently reached full production of 7,000t/d. This was achieved by using block caving and drilling/blasting, facilitated by in-the-hole (ITH) drilling at 400psi (28bar). This is one of the first underground applications of ITH drilling at this pressure, and has shown gains of over 30% in drilling rates compared with using 350psi (at a hole diameter of 114mm).

Mining Fund Management

Sponsor: Ambrian

Winner: CDCapital

Sustainable Development

Winner: BioteQ Environmental

BioteQ Environmental Technologies Inc - Shortlisted for development of existing biogenic sulphide technologies to extract copper from cyanide solutions (and then to recycle the cyanide for use in gold extraction). The company has adapted the SART process (sulphidisation-acidification-recycle-thickening), originally developed by SGS Lakefield and Teck Cominco Ltd, to be able to make use of BioteQ's patented BioSulphide technology. In mid-October the first commercial-scale plant was nearing commissioning at the Lluvia de Oro mine in Sonora, Mexico.

Deal of the Year

Sponsor: Ernst & Young

Winner: Newmont / Rio Tinto / Wal-Mart

Newmont Mining Corp / Rio Tinto - Joint venture with Wal-Mart Stores Inc to produce environmentally-friendly (and fully traceable) gold for a new range of jewellery named 'Love, Earth'. Customers will be able to trace the jewellery from mine to store. (Newmont is the only gold producer on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.)

Special Award

Sponsor: Mining Environmental Management

Winner: Africo Resources

Life-time Achievement Award

Sponsor: Standard Bank Group

Winner: Don Newport