PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Gold miner Newcrest Mining has started depositing tailings into the Cadia Hill openpit mine, in New South Wales, following the construction and commissioning of pipeline infrastructure.
Newcrest was in April granted approval to use the first 20 m of the old Cadia Hill openpit operation as a tailings storage facility, in lieu of the Northern tailings facility, where a breakthrough of tailings material was reported in March.
Newcrest said on Monday that after a short ramp-up period, the Cadia operation is expected to return to full production rates before the end of the current financial year.
In the meantime, the company was continuing to review and determine the cause of the Northern tailings facility slump. A prohibition notice issued by the Resources Regulator remains in place.