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Projects
Cadia Valley Province
Ridgeway Deeps
| Location |
Orange District, Central New South Wales |
| Ownership |
100% Newcrest |
| Mineral Resources |
Refer 2009 Annual Report |
| Ore Reserves |
Refer 2009 Annual Report |
| Current Project Status |
Board development approval granted June 2007 |
| Development Capital |
A$545 million |
| Production Commencing |
Full production by Financial Year 2010 |
| Mine Type |
Underground Block Cave |
| Processing |
Flotation & Gravity utilising the existing Ridgeway circuit with a nominal treatment rate of 5.6 Mtpa. |
| Product |
Gold bullion and Gold/Copper Concentrate |
| Production Forecast |
1.6 Moz gold and 0.21 Mt copper over mine life of 8 years. |
| Mine Life |
8 years (2017) |
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Overview
The Ridgeway Deeps project involves development of the resource below the current Ridgeway mine. The Newcrest Board approved full project execution in June 2007 to extend the depth of the original Ridgeway mine approximately 300 metres to about 1100 metres below the surface.
The project is based on the construction of a block cave underneath the existing Ridgeway sub level cave. Ridgeway Deeps will be the first natural caving operation to be developed by Newcrest and will be the deepest block cave in Australia.
Development of the Ridgeway Deeps block cave will further enhance Newcrest’s expertise in low cost, bulk underground mining methods; a valuable skill as the mining industry moves towards more large-scale underground mines with the discovery of deeper mineral deposits.
Project Status
Initial access development work to extend the decline and upgrade the ventilation system for the Ridgeway Deeps project commenced in early 2005 while the pre-feasibility and feasibility studies were undertaken.
The Ridgeway Deeps mine is expected to produce 1.6 Moz of gold and 210,000 tonnes of copper over the total project life of 8 years. The mine will transition from Ridgeway to Ridgeway Deeps ore over the 2010 financial year.
Block caving involves a mine design and process to ensure the rock 'naturally' caves progressively upwards under the influence of gravity due to the undercutting and removal of broken ore at the base of the block being mined. Block caving has a lower operating mining cost than sub-level caving as it relies on this natural caving process, requiring less drilling and blasting than sub level caving. The Ridgeway Deeps mining cost will be significantly lower than the existing Ridgeway mine due to the combined impact of lower block cave mining costs and the implementation of semi automated ore loaders.
Capital cost for the project of A$545 million comprises construction of the block cave, extension of the existing underground ore handling system (including two new primary underground crushers), development of bulk underground mining technologies, including the application of automated remote loaders and modifications to the processing plant (adding additional secondary crushing and regrind facilities). The majority of the capital expenditure will be incurred over the 2008 and 2009 financial years with project commissioning occurring progressively over the 2010 financial year.
Future Developments
Recent exploration drilling below the area designated for the Ridgeway Deeps block cave has indicated a continuation of the ore body. Preliminary assessments are being undertaken into the potential development of a second block cave which could further extend the mine life of the Ridgeway/ Ridgeway Deeps mine.
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