THERE are few places in the world where minerals and petroleum players operate side by side as they do in Perth.
Perhaps this has been the key ingredient to a new mining and gas venture being pulled together by a small band of resources experts, led by former Woodside Petroleum executive Eve Howell.
Ms Howell finished up as Woodside’s executive vice-president of health, safety and security at the end of last year and has already signed on as a director of listed national engineering and infrastructure provider Downer EDI.
Previously, Ms Howell ran Apache Energy’s operations here, including the Varanus Island domestic gas plant.
The new venture is called EMR Resources, which proposes to focus on opportunities in sub-Sahara Africa.
The key players joining Ms Howell are consulting geologist Max de Vietri, who is a director of EMR, and engineer Ricardo Garzon Rangel, who is managing director. Ms Howell, whose career started as a hard-rock geologist before working in North Sea petroleum, is chairman and chief executive.
While the Subiaco business is just one of dozens of Perth-based outfits focused on Africa, EMR proposes to link the expertise of these key players to develop both mines and domestic gas projects. Gold is the initial target of the group.
“We are really thinking of ourselves as mainly a mining company but all the African countries are desperately short of power,” Ms Howell said.
She said EMR saw the opportunity of becoming an operator of onshore gas fields, supplying in-country markets such as communities, industry and, potentially, its own mines.
“Onshore gas is an enabler for mining projects,” Ms Howell said. “I am trying to leverage off my experience in WA from my time at Apache.
“Apache is dominant in the mining sector.”
The trio has links through past projects. Mr de Vietri introduced Woodside to its first foreign exploration and production foray in Mauritania, where it developed and operated the ultimately disappointing Chinguetti project.
He and Mr Garzon Rangel both worked together at Baraka Petroleum, which also had a big focus on Mauritania.
Mr de Vietri’s African connections go back nearly two decades when he did some consulting work in Mauritania and ended up assisting development of the resources sector there. He was made an Officer of the National Merit Order in Mauritania in 2006.
He is also the honorary consul for another African nation, Mali.
Mr de Vietri said he was currently completing a doctorate at Curtin University, studying the social, economic and political impact of establishing an oil and gas industry in Mauritania.
He believes many companies go into Africa without understanding the cultural challenges. Similarly, African nations need a better understanding of Western companies.
The three resources executives claim to be well funded by local high-net-worth individuals and believe they have enough cash to get through the preliminary phase of identifying opportunities through till the latter part of 2012.
A public offering is likely in 2013.
Mr de Vietri said he and Ms Howell had also visited investment players in London and had been encouraged by their interest in EMR’s strategy. The venture has been in gestation for a couple of years.
“I started talking about this a couple of years ago,” Ms Howell said.
“I knew I was, at some time, going to leave Woodside.
“It might sound sentimental but I was born in Africa.”
