Name of the Project
Cadia East rehabilitation and upgrade project.
Location
New South Wales, Australia.
Client
Newcrest Mining.
Project Description
Cadia East was placed under a prohibition notice on April 14, prohibiting the miner from extracting ore from its Panel Cave 1 and 2.
Damage to the mine infrastructure was minimal; however, Newcrest plans to undertake a project to increase the dynamic ground support capacity around known fault structures and rehabilitate ground support in areas impacted on by the seismic event.
Work to restore Panel Cave 2 to production has been prioritised, while the remainder of the ground support upgrades are completed at Panel Cave 1 and other areas of the mine.
Jobs to Be Created
Not stated.
Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.
Value
A$25-million.
Duration
Subject to the lifting of the prohibition notice, Panel Cave 1 and 2 will restart operations in the first quarter of 2018.
Latest Developments
Work on rehabilitating ground support has started at Panel Cave 1.
Work is also continuing on rehabilitating and upgrading the ground support at Panel Cave 2.
Newcrest currently has ten trucks conveying about 65 000 t/d of ore to the processing plant from the low-grade Cadia Hill stockpiles, with the ore being processed at a recovery rate of about 70%.
The gold miner has also identified a further 20-million tonnes of economically viable stockpile material available for processing. Further, work has started to recommission the Ridgeway sublevel cave, with first ore expected in June.
Newcrest expects about 600 000 t of accessible ore at a grade of 0.35 g/t and 0.30% copper.
Subject to the lifting of the prohibition notice, Newcrest will produce between 650 000 oz and 750 000 oz of gold in 2018.
The Newcrest has noted that a feasibility study on the proposed expansion of the Cadia processing plant has been completed; however, approval of the study is pending while the miner focuses on finalising remedial work at the Cadia operation.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.
On Budget and on Time?
Too early to state.
Contact Details for Project Information
Newcrest Mining, tel +61 3 9522 5333, fax +61 3 9525 2996 or email corporateaffairs@newcrest.com.au.