PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Unlisted Consolidated Minerals at the end of last week suspended operations at its Woodie Woodie manganese mine, in Western Australia, citing the current record low price for manganese ore.
The company said that the decision to transition the Woodie Woodie mine to care and maintenance would mean that the nearly 330 direct employees and 50 contractors would be made redundant.
A skeleton staff would be maintained for a short period beyond the February 2 cessation of operations, to complete a number of activities necessary to transition the project to care and maintenance.
Consolidated Minerals said that the decision to suspend operations at Woodie Woodie was necessitated despite relentless cost-cutting and marketing efforts to remain competitive, with the miner adding that the price for manganese ore was so low that continuing operations at Woodie Woodie was no longer economically viable.
The existing ore stockpiles at the mine site would be sold when satisfactory prices could be achieved.