One of the country’s largest gold mines expects to reopen its underground facility in five weeks after an earthquake rattled the New South Wales Central West.
Below ground operations at Newmont’s Cadia site have been suspended since a magnitude-4.5 quake hit earlier this month.
The epicentre was recorded just south-west of the mine, and was the region’s biggest on record.
The company today released its first quarterly update for the year, stating that investigations about the impact of the tremor were still ongoing, but initial findings suggested damage was limited.
“The operation is currently processing surface stockpiles and expects underground rehabilitation to be completed in the next five weeks, enabling a return to 80 per cent capacity,” the report said.
Newmont said it expected to return to full operational capacity at the end of the second quarter.
The update projected production at the site to be lower due to a “short gap” in mill feed, but predicted a return to normal levels at the start of the third quarter.
Newmont’s Cadia gold mine, in the NSW Central West, is expected to return to full capacity by mid 2026. (Supplied: Happy Snapper)
The quake on April 14 triggered the mine’s safety protocols, which sent all underground workers into refuge chambers while two aftershocks occurred.
It took more than 10 hours to evacuate all employees safely to the surface, with no injuries reported.