ATC Williams is building on its long-standing involvement in the Tasmanian mining industry, and in our 40th year of business, has established a Hobart base of operations. Our permanent presence allows greater access to our valued clients across the region and offers to others our full range of services in the areas of Tailings, Water and Waste.
Luisa Luengas heads up the Hobart office, located on Macquarie Street. Luisa will be supported primarily by ATC Williams’ Melbourne office and specialised resources across the business.
Luisa is an Associate Geotechnical Engineer with experience in all project stages for conventional, thickened, and dry stacking tailings deposition schemes. Luisa recently celebrated ten years of working at ATC Williams. Over that period, she has developed specialised skills and experience in the design and construction of mine waste management facilities across Australia, particularly Tasmania, South America and Mongolia. We talk to Luisa below.
Luisa, congratulations on your appointment.
Thank you. Everyone at ATC Williams is excited about the decision to open an office in Hobart. We feel it is vital to have a presence in Tasmania so we can involve local experts in our scoping and delivery and provide in-house support to local clients. After living in Melbourne for thirteen years since moving from Colombia, I find that I’m enjoying the change of pace and lifestyle. I’m settling into my new home and getting to know Hobart quite well already.
What will be the focus of the Hobart office?
With new border restrictions being a possibility through 2021, we acknowledge the requirement to stay agile and ready to support our clients’ needs. We will be better resourced to deliver our existing projects, and in turn, we will increase our exposure in the local market.
Additionally, there are a couple of markets in Tasmania that we hope we can provide our expertise in related to the growth that the state is experiencing as more people choose to call Tasmania home.
The increase in population has created a need for sustainable solutions in waste management, particularly with waste transfer stations and landfills, and water management to support the irrigation and agriculture industries. There is a greater emphasis on auditing, preserving, and upgrading the many aging dam assets that form Tasmania’s hydroelectric network. ATC Williams has tremendous expertise in all these areas.
Another sector of interest is mine closure with a high degree of environmental responsibility. I believe the level of environmental consciousness is much higher here because you can still see examples of what a lack of appropriate rehabilitation looks like, mainly from mines that closed many decades ago. Even today, some existing mines must deal with historical environmental legacy issues that can be solved through innovative engineering solutions we can help create.
What are you working on now?
I have recently completed a Tailings Management Pre-Feasibility Study for the Beaconsfield Mine, which is currently being assessed to re-new operations after it closed in 2014. Beaconsfield is a well-known name in Tasmanian and Australian mining history as its gold ore resources and mining history date back to the 1800s. Then there is the well-known incident in 2006 when two miners were rescued after surviving two weeks underground following an incident. It is important to be part of this project.
Previously, I was onsite overseeing an upstream raise for a tailings storage facility (TSF) in Rosebery, a small mining town in West Coast Tasmania. The TSF has been active since the 1980s, and we are currently entering the progressive closure stage. I was previously on the same mine site in 2017, offering technical assistance during the TSF raise of a historical dam site that had been closed for many years, so I got to know the area well. I was also the EPA representative onsite, so environmental and design practise were, and continue to be, front of mind.
How are sites in Tasmania different to sites in other states?
The current tourism slogan is “Come down for Air”, which is similar to other campaigns in the state, such as “Keep Tassie Wild” and allude to Tasmania’s environmental riches. There is no choice but to be innovative and take the lead to meet sustainability mandates in order to preserve what makes Tasmania unique. Rosebery is very different to other sites because we are in the middle of the wilderness with a surplus of freshwater resources to manage.
Working in a Tasmanian site allows you to see and experience an abundance of flora and fauna, so there is a heightened sense of needing to be careful with the environment. Freshwater resources are rare to have onsite in Australia, and we must always be cautious in our approach and execution. Many mining sites in other states are in desert areas, which have different environmental considerations.
Where do you see ATC Williams adding value in Tasmania?
Tasmania is the first Australian state 100% powered on renewable energy, with plans to reach a 200% renewable target by 2040 and exporting energy to mainland Australia. Tasmania will become a global player in the renewables and sustainability divisions, which will inevitably require a sustainable approach to all its economic sectors, including mining, agriculture, and tourism, to name a few.
We acknowledge that these industries must work together and look for ways to build synergies. As an example, many historical mining sites across Tasmania had little environmental practice in mind. There are benefits for all sectors in undertaking appropriate closure and rehabilitation programs on these sites. ATC Williams established lifecycle approach to mining-related services, and expertise in facility closure will be of value going forward.
There is much to do, and I am looking forward to building a team here.
If you would like to discuss your project or chat about how we can assist, please contact Luisa at luisal@atcwilliams.com.au or 03 6251 1320. Or find us at Suite 43, Level 4, 85 Macquarie Street, Hobart 7000.
