Executive Chairman
Black Dragon Gold
Mr Roberts is an experienced and highly effective project leader, with a track record of permitting and commissioning underground mines. For more than fifteen years Mr Roberts has worked exclusively in the European mining sector.
Prior to joining Black Dragon Gold Mr Roberts was Head of Corporate Affairs at Adriatic Metals where his collaboration with both government and regulatory authorities led to the rapid and successful permitting of the world-class Vares silver mine.
From Ore to Opportunity - Geo-metallurgy's Critical Role in Achieving Net-Zero
The many recently published critical raw material acts have served to highlight the conundrum our industry has well known for decades. That there are few undiscovered world class deposits yet without increased primary production there is no possibility of achieving Net-Zero. If 115% more copper than that mined over the last 5,000 years is required by 2050 to electrify the world, then the mining industry, its financiers, host nations, communities and environments will have to cooperate to bring smaller, more complex, more challenging ore bodies into production. The exploitation of such deposits already requires a disciplined geo-metallurgical approach to their resource definition, design, and life of mine process optimisation. But given the scale of the challenge, it is conceivable that the current accepted definition of geo-met will be expanded to include creative & responsive financing (including directly by the end-users), highly responsive blending of multiple mine production into smelters & refineries and innovative technological advances to mitigate the impact of the unwanted penalty elements that are contained in the complex ore bodies our industry will have to mine.
From Ore to Opportunity - Geo-metallurgy's Critical Role in Achieving Net-Zero
The many recently published critical raw material acts have served to highlight the conundrum our industry has well known for decades. That there are few undiscovered world class deposits yet without increased primary production there is no possibility of achieving Net-Zero. If 115% more copper than that mined over the last 5,000 years is required by 2050 to electrify the world, then the mining industry, its financiers, host nations, communities and environments will have to cooperate to bring smaller, more complex, more challenging ore bodies into production. The exploitation of such deposits already requires a disciplined geo-metallurgical approach to their resource definition, design, and life of mine process optimisation. But given the scale of the challenge, it is conceivable that the current accepted definition of geo-met will be expanded to include creative & responsive financing (including directly by the end-users), highly responsive blending of multiple mine production into smelters & refineries and innovative technological advances to mitigate the impact of the unwanted penalty elements that are contained in the complex ore bodies our industry will have to mine.