With gold prices at historic highs, production at Australia’s most remote gold mine is set to significantly increase. Despite the challenges of operating in the outback, millions of dollars are being spent expanding the Tanami mine.
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00:00This is the Tanamai Gold Mine, about 550 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs.
00:20Each year it produces around 400,000 ounces, or more than 11,000 kilograms, of gold.
00:29The production is set to dramatically increase, with the construction of a new hoist to pull
00:34up ore from underground.
00:38This shaft is designed to produce 3.8 million tonnes a year.
00:43At the moment the mine, with its truck haulage system, produces 2.7 million tonnes a year,
00:48so we're going to gain an extra million tonnes a year.
00:50That's significantly reduced operating costs to new mining.
00:57Grant Brinkman is responsible for the mine's expansion.
01:01His employer, Global Gold Miner Newmont Corporation, is increasing production because gold is hot
01:08right now.
01:09Prices have been climbing over the past year, and sit at, or near, record highs.
01:16The expansion includes the development of a mechanised underground crushing system, so
01:21up to 28 tonnes of crushed ore per skip, can be hoisted to the surface using the shaft.
01:27The new haulage system will save a lot of time.
01:32The existing truck haulage system, trucks take about, it's about a three hour return trip
01:35to drive underground, pick up a load of rock and come back.
01:39This shaft system behind me, you'll see it can hoist an equivalent amount of rock in the space
01:46of about two and a half minutes.
01:49The roads underground here are quite dark.
01:51There's lots of sharp corners, and they're not very wide, so there's lots of congestion
01:55on the road.
01:56So when that shaft is finished, it's going to be more efficient and safe for those people
02:01working here.