Bandung, 17 December 2022 – PT Agincourt Resources (PTAR), the Operator of Martabe Gold Mine, held the 2022 Olympiade Agincourt Resources (OlympiAR) which targeted students majoring in mining, geology, and engineering from 12 universities in Indonesia. The Olympiad materials which focused on mining plan, mining process, and postmining, raised the theme “Mineral Discovery, Unearthing Sustainable Future.”
Vice President Director of PT Agincourt Resources, Ruli Tanio, said that OlympiAR aims to produce outstanding young generations who contribute to the application of the concept of sustainable mining to develop the country.
“We continue to implement sustainable mining practices which do not only benefit our stakeholders and shareholders, but also environmentally sound and socially responsible mining practices that can meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Through OlympiAR, we want to spread this sustainable spirit and principle to future generations,” said Ruli.
Collaborating with Masyarakat Geologi Ekonomi Indonesia (MGEI), OlympiAR was officially opened at Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB)in Bandung City, West Java, on 17 December 2022. The opening as well as the second roadshow was attended by PTAR Vice President Director, Ruli Tanio; Head of Mining Engineering Study Program of ITB Dr. Eng. Fadhila Achmadi Rasyid representing the Rector of ITB; Ir. Nurcahyo Indro Basuki, M.T, Ph.D representing the Head of the Geological Engineering Study Program of ITB, and the Secretary General of Central MGEIIryanto Ahmad Rompo.
The opening ceremony was continued with the presentation of briefing materials on mining plan, mining process, and postmining by expert speakers from PTAR, namely Principal Geologist – Mine Geology Janjan Hertrijana, Environmental Manager Mahmud Subagya, and Superintendent Strategic Mine Planning Bonni Simanjuntak.
Around 250 students from various universities, namely ITB, Universitas Padjadjaran, Universitas Papua, Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Pertamina, Universitas Pakuan, Universitas Trisakti, Politeknik Energi dan Pertambangan Bandung (Energy and Mining Polytechnic), and Universitas Islam Bandung were present at the opening and roadshow of OlympiAR at ITB. Previously, the first roadshow was held at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta, 3 December 2022, which was attended by approximately 200 students from 7 universities in Central and East Java.
Ruli explained that since the beginning of mining operations until now, the key objectives of environmental management at Martabe Gold Mine have remained unchanged. These objectives include the activities of rehabilitation, safe management of tailings and waste rocks, safe management of process wastewater, management and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity protection, and safe and stable postmining closure.
A number of concrete actions were carried out, one of which was planting more than 41,000 tree seedlings inside and outside the mining area from 2012 to 2021, which has the potential to produce 18 million kilograms of oxygen per year and is able to absorb about 1 million tons of carbon gas per year. In addition, in 2021 PTAR will reclaim up to 36.22 hectares of land, covering operational areas and exploration areas. Plus more than 3,000 seedlings were planted in the rehabilitation areas. This rehabilitation achievement exceeds the 2017-2021 PTAR Reclamation Plan approved by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
Representing the Rector of ITB, Head of Mining Engineering Study Program of ITB Dr. Eng. Fadhila Achmadi Rasyid expressed his appreciation of the OlympiAR event for raising sustainability topic which is indeed a significant issue in mining sector. This is because sustainability topic does not only ensure the management of valuable and beneficial mining deposits for sustainable living, but also contributes to the country and development, by continuing to prioritize the aspect of environmental and social management.
“We are very grateful to PTAR and MGEI’s support for holding OlympiAR at ITBcampus. Hopefully this activity will generate good outputs and can bring benefits to the academic community,” said Fadhila.
Senior Manager of Corporate Communications of PT Agincourt Resources, Katarina Siburian Hardono, said that OlympiAR serves as a medium to show off abilities between students, after academic briefing and a series of practical discussions through E-Coaching Jam (ECJ) event since 2014.
“Apart from spreading Martabe Gold Mine’s spirit of sustainable mining, OlympiAR aims to assist students in developing competencies, readiness and confidence to enter the workforce and pursue a career in the mining industry,” katarina said.
Katarina added, as a form of appreciation for the students’ interest, active participation and creativity, a number of attractive prizes await. The first winning team has the potential to win IDR 50 million, the second winning team will take IDR 30 million, and the third winning team will get IDR 20 million. The first winning team of OlympiAR also has the opportunity to take part in an internship program at Martabe Gold Mine.
OlympiAR will be held for the next 3 months with a registration schedule in December 2022, followed by workshops. The first round of elimination is in January 2023, the second round of elimination is in February 2023. This will end with the final stage and the announcement of the winner in March 2023
OlympiAR is part of E-Coaching Jam (ECJ), which is an online discussion between students and coaches, complete with webinars and offline face-to-face meetings, as a forum to share practical knowledge with students. Since the inaugural event in 2014 until now, ECJ has bridged discussions between more than 45 mining experts and more than 3,500 students in Indonesia, including ITB Bandung, ITM Medan, UGM, UNDIP, UPN Yogyakarta, UNSYIAH ACEH, UNISBA Bandung, UNSRI Palembang, and Universitas Muhammadyah of South Tapanuli. ECJ won various awards, this year at the 2022 Indonesia Sustainable Development Goals Award (ISDA).
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