VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Mongolia’s massive Oyu Tolgoi copper/gold mine has achieved its latest important milestone after sinking of the new Shaft 5 has been completed.
The shaft has a final depth of 1 178 m.
Sixty-six per cent owner, Vancouver-based Turquoise Hill Resources announced on Wednesday that installation of the exhaust fan had started during the fourth quarter, and is expected to be complete early in the second quarter.
“Each milestone achieved takes Oyu Tolgoi closer to becoming the world's third largest copper mine,” company CEO Jeff Tygesen commented.
Shaft 5 is 6.7 m in diameter and will be dedicated to ventilation, thereby increasing the capacity for underground activities.
The Oyu Tolgoi copper/gold mine was discovered in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert in 2001 and Rio Tinto gained control in 2012. Oyu Tolgoi is jointly owned by the government of Mongolia, with 34%. Turquoise Hill is 51%-owned by Rio.