The Kanmantoo mine is a

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 in the Australian state of

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 ...

located near the town of Kanmantoo about southeast of the state capital of

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 ...

History

Copper was first discovered and mined in the 1840s. The town was established to house workers at the mine, which at that time was an underground mine. The original mine was active from 1846 to 1874. A new open-cut mine operated from 1970 to 1976. The current mine operators acquired the mining and exploration leases in stages over 2003–2008, and started mining operations from 2011. Processing at the mine site produces concentrates which are transported by road to

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

via the

South Eastern Freeway South Eastern Freeway is a freeway in South Australia (SA). It is a part of the National Highway network linking the state capital cities of Adelaide, SA, and Melbourne, Victoria, and is signed as route M1. It carries traffic over the Adel ...

Geology

The mineral deposits are in Cambrian Kanmantoo group rocks.

Pumped hydroelectric energy storage

In April 2019, owners of the mine Hillgrove Resources announced that it had sold rights to build, own and operate a pumped hydroelectric energy storage facility in the open pit. The buyer was AGL Energy. If all the relevant government approvals were received, it was expected that the system could have been operational in 2024. The project was dropped by mutual agreement early in 2020.

References

{{reflist Adelaide Hills Copper mines in South Australia