The Carrapateena mine is a large

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

mine under development in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

's Far North region 100 km southeast of Olympic Dam and approximately 160 km north of

Port Augusta Port Augusta (''Goordnada'' in the revived indigenous Barngarla language) is a coastal city in South Australia about by road from the state capital, Adelaide. Most of the city is on the eastern shores of Spencer Gulf, immediately south of the ...

. Carrapateena represents one of the largest

reserves in Australia and in the world having estimated reserves of 292 million tonnes of ore grading 1.31% copper and 3.64 million oz of gold. It was discovered by explorer and metallurgist Rudie Gomez in 2005. The project was acquired by Oz Minerals in 2011, and the project was referred to the EPBC Act for Federal environmental approval in 2012. Construction of the decline to access the mine commenced in 2016. The mining technique used to extract the ore is sub-level caving. The Tjati decline was officially opened in November 2016. The company expected that it would take two years to complete excavation of the decline which is long and descends . The mine owners also have a signed agreement with the

traditional owners Native title is the set of rights, recognised by Australian law, held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups or individuals to land that derive from their maintenance of their traditional laws and customs. These Aboriginal title rig ...

of the land, the Kokatha people. The company announced board approval for continued development on 24 August 2017, expecting to spend on development before the mine would begin to produce ore in late 2019. The first copper concentrate was produced in December 2019, by which time the mine had cost between $950 million and $980 million. Mine life is forecast to be about 20 years. During the construction time for the decline, surface construction continued. This included an accommodation village and airstrip in 2017–2018. They were followed by processing plant, access road and electricity infrastructure from mid-2018 and installation of underground materials handling. The mine site is on Pernatty Station with other infrastructure on Oakden Hills Station. Construction of the airstrip was completed in July 2018 by

NRW Holdings NRW Holdings is a construction and mining contractor with its headquarters in Perth, Western Australia. History NRW Holdings was established in 1994 in Kalgoorlie by Jeff McGlinn and John Silverthorne with its first contract at the Granny Smith ...

with the village providing 550 accommodation rooms completed about a month later.

National Jet Express National Jet Express (formerly ''Cobham Aviation Services Australia - Regional Services'') is an Australian charter airline and aviation services provider with its headquarters in Perth, Western Australia. History National Jet Express was est ...

provides

fly-in fly-out Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas by flying them temporarily to the work site instead of relocating employees and their families permanently. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This i ...

services between

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

and Carrapateena since October 2018 using an RJ-100 aircraft. It operates 14 flights per week on the route. The Program for Environment Protection and Rehabilitation (PEPR) for the mine was approved by the state government on 29 March 2018.

Downer Downer may refer to: * Downer (surname), various persons of that name * Downer, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra, Australia * Downer Glacier, Alaska * Downer, Minnesota, an unincorporated community * Downer (soil), the New Jerse ...

was then awarded the contract to take over from PYBAR Mining Services to continue underground mining operations from 1 July 2018. Downer is also a joint venture partner in the engineering, procurement and construction of above ground facilities.

References

{{reflist Gold mines in South Australia Mining in South Australia Far North (South Australia) Copper mines in South Australia