Newcrest
Cadia Valley Operations (CVO) is one of Australia’s largest gold mining operations and is 100 per cent owned by Newcrest. It is located approximately 25 kilometres from the city of Orange in central west New South Wales and is 250 kilometres west of Sydney.
CVO comprises three mines - the Cadia Hill open pit mine, and the Cadia East and Ridgeway underground mines. These are all large scale mining operations using either block and panel caving or open pit mining methods.
At CVO, Newcrest produces gold doré from a gravity circuit and gold-rich copper concentrates from a flotation circuit. Gold doré from CVO is refined at the Perth Mint and concentrates are piped to a dewatering plant at nearby Blayney and sent by rail to Port Kembla in New South Wales for export mainly to Eastern Asia.
In the financial year ending 30 June 2012, CVO produced 473,195 ounces of gold and 44,778 tonnes of copper. From 1999 (when production started) to 30 June 2012, CVO has produced more than 7.1 million ounces of gold.
Newcrest continues to explore areas around existing mines to expand reserves that will support the development of additional production capacity in this large mineral district.
The new Cadia East underground mine, constructed at a cost of over $2 billion commenced commercial production on 1 January 2013. As a result of the Cadia East project the annual production rate at CVO has been increased to 26 million tonnes per annum and, as the Cadia East underground mine ramps up, CVO production is expected to increase to 700-800,000 ounces of gold and 90,000 tonnes of copper per annum.
Newcrest places a high value on the support and endorsement of its activities by surrounding communities. At CVO, Newcrest is a major contributor to the local economy employing more than 780 permanent staff and more than 2,300 contract employees (at peak construction of the new Cadia East underground mine). Most personnel live in and around the nearby town of Orange.
CVO works closely with local community groups and government agencies to provide ongoing infrastructure and support in the Orange, Blayney and Cabonne local government areas.
CVO undertakes a range of environmental reporting and monitoring activities, to ensure that the mine maintains a safe environment for employees, operating and developing mines in line with good environmental practices and embracing a strong sense of commitment to local communities.
For more information, download the Cadia Valley Operations fact sheet, refer to the CVO website or the latest Newcrest Sustainability Report.
