Whyalla saviour Sanjeev Gupta’s bold vision for South Australia’s future

THE man who saved the Whyalla steelworks, British billionaire Sanjeev Gupta, gives his assessment of the opportunities and challenges facing South Australia. And he has strong ambitions to be at the centre of our state’s “incredibly exciting opportunities”.

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WHEN I founded the GFG Alliance international group of companies, I wanted to ensure that the Alliance works for tomorrow’s generations as much as for today’s.

On a planet of limited resources, rising population and cycles of prosperity and recession, GFG Alliance places great emphasis on making our enterprises both resilient and sustainable.

For more than 60 years, GFG Alliance has operated in sectors that are fundamental to the economy: energy, metals, engineering, logistics, and more recently infrastructure, financial services, property and mining.

GFG Alliance and Whyalla steelworks saviour Sanjeev Gupta. Picture: AAP / Roy Vandervegt

To enable GFG Alliance to deliver this philosophy across the globe, the countries and regions in which we invest must possess certain strengths and qualities. These include:

A WELCOMING environment where key stakeholders work collaboratively for the betterment of their economy.

BIPARTISAN political support and partnerships.

A UNION movement willing to work with industry to attain success for both their members and the businesses for which they are employed.

COMPETITIVE advantages, particularly through resources to which we can add value, including minerals, infrastructure, and skilled and capable people.

South Australia has each of these, providing a captivating opportunity, which is why GFG Alliance has been able to invest in this state with confidence for the long-term.

South Australia is extremely well endowed with natural resources, with some of the most historic iron ore mines in the country, such as SIMEC Mining’s operations in the Middleback Ranges.

Our abundant natural resources are not only found underground, but also in the people who keep our industries running, as well as the wealth of natural, renewable energy sources, particularly in the Upper Spencer Gulf near our Whyalla steel and mining operations.

The people of South Australia — from the government through to our workforce — could not have been more supportive from the beginning of our investment journey, in particular our dedicated workforce.

Their willingness to embrace one of GFG Alliance’s core values — Change — and actively seek ways to operate differently, with the ultimate aim of ensuring the survival of their operations, was second-to-none.

Every South Australian I have met wants what is best for their families and respective communities, and they’ve done everything in their power to help create a new future for their regions and indeed South Australia as a whole.

Given South Australia’s potential, I believe there are a number of opportunities that could be pursued in order to attract even further investment to the state. Some of these include:

MORE world-class events (we are seeking to actively address this, working with the City of Adelaide and the City of Playford on the possibility of an Adelaide Formula E Grand Prix, aligning perfectly with the state’s passion for motorsport and renewable energy).

Nelson Piquet Jr races his Formula E Jaguar in Switzerland this month. Picture: Dominic Romney / Jaguar Panasonic Racing via Getty

MORE high-end hotels to attract and accommodate international events and high-end hospitality to complement South Australia’s awarded produce.

STRONG regional industry to support further investment and attract more companies to establish head offices in Adelaide.

MORE cutting-edge technology development and production, such as electric vehicles (in which we have a very strong interest). This would also require an educational system that supports and promotes this innovation to ensure South Australia is well equipped to play a leading role in these industries of the future.

GFG Alliance therefore sees incredibly exciting opportunities in South Australia both now and into the distant future. I have strong ambitions to capitalise on many of these opportunities through our existing and targeted assets, including:

TRANSFORMING our Whyalla operations into a modern, world-class facility, supplying specialist steel globally.

DEVELOPING the Whyalla Port into a world-scale facility open to third parties.

FURTHER unlocking our large-scale magnetite potential across the state

DEVELOPING a copper smelter and refinery to see value added to South Australia’s copper resources.

CONSTRUCTING 1GW of renewable generation and storage — including the world’s most powerful battery — in the Upper Spencer Gulf.

There are exciting times and opportunities ahead, so I am proud that GFG Alliance is playing a valued role in the development and prosperity of South Australia.