About Touchstone Resources

 

TouchStone Resources (Pty) Ltd is a social entrepreneur that is engaged in prospecting for, and developing New Energy and New Water resources, in order to enable the levels of socio-economic activity that will be needed within southern Africa. 

Our  focus will be on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) area, because the limitations to economic development and social well-being across that entire region are constrained by similar resources - water and energy. We also believe that optima are scale dependent, so by having a larger geographic space in which to operate, we are able to create a bigger basket of benefits arising from the linkage between various solutions at these different levels of scale.
 
In terms of the preferred risk portfolio needed to maximize value to shareholders, we have a spread across two distinct areas of interest, each with their own risk profile and potential future returns. These are:
 
The creation of New Water at three different levels of scale:
  • Big Water is about strategic storage in a region with high evaporatrive losses that limit the utility of dams, so our focus is on alternative storage in groundwater aquifer systems, or in old mine voids. This generates New Water by reducing the existing massive losses to evaporation.
  • Medium Water is about treating effluent, either from sewage works or from Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) effluent streams, to a level that makes it suitable for industrial purposes. This is based on the notion of water as a flux  and it generates New Water by relieving pressure on existing potable water resources, while also enabling economic activity to proceed without the prohibitive costs of potable water being used for industrial processes. For more information please click here. 
  • Small Water is about bringing affordable and safe treatment processes to the individual consumer, where service delivery is failing or is under stress. Part of this is about gaining access to the growing bottled water market, but in a way that avoids the normal pitfalls of bottled water.  

The creation of New Energy at two different levels of scale:

  • Big Energy is about exploration for active geothermal energy sources in the SADC Region. This uses the earth as a source of energy and involves a number of different technologies such as binary, flash steam and hot water. This generates New Energy from sources other than coal in a way that is more environmentally friendly. To view a video that explains this process please click here and here and here.
  • Small Energy is about the introduction of passive geothermal technologies into the SADC region, including the possibility of manufacturing locally under licence to existing foreign geothermal manufacturers. This is based on the notion of energy as a flux and it uses the earth as a sink and generates New Energy by making existing electicity use much more efficient. To view a video explaining this concept, please click here and here, but note that we are currently negotiating with potential suppliers so this specific system might not be the one we finally select for introduction to the region. To see how passive geothermal systems work in large installations like shopping centres, schools and universities, including comparative costs (as they apply to the USA) involved, please click here.  Should you wish to understand some of the technical elements of passive geothermal energy systems, please browse these videotaped lectures by clicking here and here and here and here and here.

The TouchStone Resources business model is an attractive combination of exploration for New Energy sources with its concomitant exponentially high reward; and income generating potential in the optimisation of water care products and services by developing New Water. The business model provides a blend of risk strategies that offer shareholders a balanced return on investment with the blue sky potential of a significant geothermal source discovery.

Who are we?

David Gadd-Claxton

David is a Director and Chief Executive Officer. David is a mining engineer and has significant experience in multi commodity (gold, coal, iron, uranium) mineral prospecting, and for the last 20 years in the diamond industry has led the development of a number of mines from concept to full production. He has held senior management positions (Director, COO and CEO) of companies listed on international stock exchanges (TSX, AIM) and is well known in the venture capital markets of Toronto, London and Australia.

Dr. Anthony Turton

Anthony is a Director. He has experience in the water sector, with a solid track record in leadership positions in a number of international professional bodies (Executive Director of the International Water Resources Association; past Deputy Governor of the World Water Council and Professor at the University of Free State). He also has experience in managing research and technology development teams, as well as strategic forecasting. For more information please click here.

George Zachariou is a the CEO-designate of the passive geothermal business unit. He has a robust track record in various leadership positions including the start up of new companies. He drove the M-Net start up in Thailand as CEO resulting in rapid market penetration for internet service providers. Later based in Sydney Australia, he was responsible for introducing and setting up the Autonomy operation throughout the Asia Pacific and Pacific Rim. He was also responsible for the HP Solutions and Services profile in South Africa, managing one of the largest mobile service providers.