Shaft issues arise at Peak

26th March 2020 By: Esmarie Iannucci - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Australasia

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Shaft hoisting operations at the Peak mine, in New South Wales, have been suspended to investigate a fault detected in the conveyance guide system, metals miner Aurelia Metals has reported.

The company on Thursday told shareholders that initial inspections indicated that the suspended ropes that guide the man-riding and skip conveyance were not fully tensioned, causing the conveyances to lose alignment.

Aurelia noted that safe access to the rope guide supports were being established to allow further inspection and to determine the extent of any remedial works required.

No other damage was identified in the shaft, and it has been successfully operated in low speed mode since hoisting operations were halted.

Aurelia told shareholders that while shaft hoisting is halted, the Peak surface decline is being used to transport mine workers and ore is being trucked to surface in limited quantities.

It is expected that the shaft will return to operations this week.

Meanwhile, Aurelia has withdrawn its production guidance for the 2020 financial year, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, but confirmed that its gold sales and base metal concentrate shipment schedules remained unaffected at this stage.