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Reefton goldfield’s Globe Progress mine officially opened
31 July 2007 - Hardrock gold mining operations on the Reefton goldfield, on the South Island’s West Coast, are now back in business after 56 years with the official opening of OceanaGold Corporation’s Globe-Progress open cut mine.
The OceanaGold mine official opening in early July and was attended by the Associate Minister of Energy, Harry Duynhoven, local MP and Minister of Tourism and Corrections Damien O’Connor, Buller Mayor Major Martin Sawyer, members of the local Iwi and descendants of the original Globe miners.
Melbourne-based OceanaGold completed final wet commissioning in March at the Globe Progress concentrate plant.
The mine, near the town of Reefton, comprises four open pits; Globe Progress, General Gordon, Empress and Souvenir; and a 1 million tonnes a year capacity crushing, grinding and flotation plant. The gold concentrate from the plant is sent south by rail and road to the company’s Macraes mine in Otago for final processing through a pressure oxidation plant into gold.
The mine is expected to produce approximately 50,000 oz of gold in 2007 at a cash cost of US$406 per oz rising to 82,000 oz in 2008 at a cash cost of US$252 per oz.
Based on current reserves, the Reefton project is expected to recover approximately 455,000 ounces of gold over seven years.
Exploration is ongoing to convert a portion of the additional 1.1 million oz of current resources to reserves to extend mine life.
OceanaGold currently employs 147 people in the Reefton area; 47 directly and 100 through contracting firms.
OceanaGold is also exploring the sites of other old Reefton mines including Crushington, Auld Creek, and Cumberland.
