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Newmont begins Martha east cutback; proposes 200,000 oz Trio mine
30 April 2010 - Newmont Waihi Gold is going ahead with the mining of the eastern wall cutback of the Martha open pit mine and is also proposing a 200,000 oz underground Trio mine accessed from the present Favona mine.
Source: Newmont Waihi Gold and Lindsay Clark
Preparatory work for the east layback began in late April and the expansion is expected to extend the mine’s life by three years to 2014.
Newmont Waihi Gold said in an information sheet distributed to Waihi residents said that the Martha pit area would only be increased by 3% but the layback would produce 1.7 million tonnes of ore and 3.5 million cubic metres of waste.
The project would effectively be a continuation of the south wall layback, which is due to be finished very soon. The company said the east layback would operate under the existing work programme and under the existing consents until April 2014.
Newmont Waihi Gold said the east layback would not deepen the pit or increase its overall width but would extend the pit’s length by 100 m to 960 m.
In the same information sheet Newmont Waihi Gold said the Trio underground prospect has the potential to produce about 1.7 million tonnes of ore for approximately 200,000 oz of gold at 6-7 grams per tonne.
The Trio project is described as an underground mining opportunity on the Trio, Union and Amaranth veins approximately 500 m to the northeast of the Favona underground portal near Union Hill.
“Newmont Waihi Gold has undertaken a study to determine whether gold and silver deposits could be mined by tunnelling from the existing Favona decline.
“Current mining at Favona is expected to be completed in 2011. The Trio project would extend this to around 2014.”
Trio workings would be the same 330 m depth as Favona. The mine would use the existing Favona portal and two access drives, 590 m and 790 m long, would be tunnelled to the top and bottom of the new prospect.
The Trio project will require a full resource consent application process.
The proposed schedule shows consenting and internal planning processes would begin in May 2010.
