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Australia
Cadia Valley Operation (Cadia East Mine, Cadia Hill Mine, Cadia PC1-2 Expansion Project, Cadia PC2-3 Expansion Project, Ridgeway Mine)

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 Location:
22 km SW from Orange, New South Wales, Australia

  Address:
1460 Cadia Rd
South Orange
New South Wales, Australia
2800
Phone02-6392-2300
Fax02-6366-4333
EmailEmail
WebsiteWeb
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeUnderground
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Copper
  • Silver
  • Molybdenum
Mining Method
  • Panel caving
  • Block caving
  • Sub-level caving
Production Start1998
Mine Life30 years (as of Jan 1, 2022)
Cadia is one of the world’s largest gold and copper mining operations.

Newcrest is currently progressing an Expansion Project at Cadia, which includes the development of the PC2-3 block cave and an expected increase to the nameplate capacity of the process plant. Additionally, the Cadia PC1-2 Feasibility Study is nearing completion and early works have commenced. In FY22 the Molybdenum Plant commenced operation.


Owners

Source: p. 17,171
CompanyInterestOwnershipInvestor's Info
Newcrest Mining Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Cadia Holdings Pty Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct

Contractors

ContractorContractDescriptionRef. DateExpirySource
Epiroc Sweden Equipment procurement or fabrication Newcrest has credited Epiroc for its help converting Panel Cave 1 at the Cadia East gold mine in News South Wales into a semi-autonomous integrated production level. Several successful stages led to the completion of the ST18 automated loader project, as Newcrest looks to automate more of its Cadia operations. Following the success of the phase, the team are now planning business as usual operation and support of the system, and further expansions to other parts of the mine, integration of additional third-party equipment and further development of the system. Dec 7, 2021
National Group Mining fleet and maintenance National Group has been awarded several recent new contracts in NSW and Queensland. This includes the large supply of fully maintained mobile mining equipment to Newcrest Mining’s Cadia gold Mine in NSW. Oct 12, 2021


Deposit Type

  • Skarn
  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Porphyry

Source: Source p.78, 85-86

Summary:

The alkalic porphyry gold–copper deposits of the Cadia district are located in the eastern Lachlan Fold Belt of New South Wales. The district comprises four porphyry deposits, Ridgeway, Cadia Extended (Cadia Quarry), Cadia Hill and Cadia East, and two related iron-skarn deposits, Big Cadia and Little Cadia.

Six mineralisation styles are known in the district:
• Cadia Hill: Intrusion and volcanic-hosted, sheeted quartz vein mineralisation;
• Cadia East: Volcanic-hosted, disseminated and sheeted quartz vein mineralisation;
• Cadia Far East: Volcanic and intrusion hosted mainly sheeted quartz vein mineralisation;
• Cadia Quarry: intrusion hosted mainly sheeted quartz vein mineralisation;
• Ridgeway: intrusion and volcanic hosted quartz stockwork vein mineralisation;
• Big Cadia, Little Cadia: iron-rich skarns.

Mineralisation in the porphyry deposits occurs as sheeted and stockwork quartz–sulphide veins, and locally as broadly stratabound disseminated mineralisation (Cadia East) and skarn (Big Cadia and Little Cadia).

The Cadia district porphyry deposits have recorded a sequence of alteration and mineralisation events that evolved from early-stage magnetite-stable sodic, potassic and calc-potassic alteration with locally significant gold–copper mineralisation, through a period of transitional stage potassic alteration that introduced most of the gold–copper mineralisation. Propylitic and calc-silicate alteration were developed in the deposit peripheries at this time and a late stage of feldspathic alteration developed irregularly around the deposit margins and locally destroyed mineralisation.

All of the porphyry deposits show a close spatial association with shoshonitic monzodiorite to quartz monzonite dykes and stocks of the CIC. Gold–copper mineralisation is hosted by these intrusions and also by the enclosing FRV wall rocks. Field evidence (e.g., cross-cutting intrusive and vein relationships, vein dykes, intermineral comb quartz layers) strongly supports the hypothesis of deposit formation at the same time as the emplacement of the intrusive rocks that host mineralisation.

Wilson (2003) divided the Cadia porphyry deposits into two types:

• Intrusive wall rock deposits. Monzonitic intrusions in these deposits were interpreted to be country rock, upon which porphyry-style mineralisation was superimposed (e.g., Cadia Quarry and Cadia Hill). These deposits display no field evidence for a temporal relationship between intrusion and mineralisation;
• Intrusive-centred deposits. The intrusions in this deposit class display textural evidence to indicate the existence of a temporal and genetic link between the monzonitic intrusive complexes and hydrothermal alteration and mineralisation (e.g., Ridgeway, Cadia Far East).

The two types have distinctive alteration and mineralisation characteristics, but share a number of paragenetic features.


Mining Methods

  • Panel caving
  • Block caving
  • Sub-level caving

Source:

Summary:

Cadia East is accessed via two declines, the main access decline, and the conveyor decline.

Panel Cave mining from Cadia East (Panel Cave 1 and 2), with underground crushing and conveyor to surface.

The mining method involves inducing caving of the rock mass by undercutting a block of ore. Mining proceeds by progressively advancing an “undercut” level beneath the block of ore. Above the undercut level, the overlying host rocks are pre-conditioned using blasting and/or hydraulic fracturing, resulting in controlled fracturing of the ore block.

Following pre-conditioning of the overlying host rocks, broken ore is removed through an extraction level developed below the undercut level. The extraction level is connected to the undercut level by drawbells, through which the ore gravitates to drawpoints on the extraction level. The ore is removed by a load–haul–dump (LHD) fleet to underground crushing stations.

At each crushing station, ore is tipped into a coarse ore bin, which then feeds the crusher itself which passes material to a surge bin used to regulate the feed from the crushing station onto the collection conveyors. The collection conveyors are in turn used to regulate feed onto the main trunk belt system and to allow for the automated removal of tramp metals.

The main trunk belt is used to transport ore to the surface at a rate of approximately 4,600 t/h (with work underway to upgrade this to 5,150 t/h). The incline conveyor commences at 4,400 mRL (i.e. the base of Lift 2), extends approximately 7,500 m to the surface and is deposited onto the concentrator coarse ore stockpile where it is gravity fed into the ore processing system.

Waste rock is removed from the underground workings via the decline and is hauled to the South Waste Rock Facility. Fresh air enters the underground workings via the main and conveyor declines and six ventilation intake shafts (VR4, VR6, VR10, VR12 with plans to construct a further system, VR14) A total flow intake of approximately 1,500 m3/s is installed with plans during expansion to raise this to 2,200 m3/s of fresh air to maintain underground air quality.

Air is expelled from the workings via four vertical shafts and exhaust fan installations (VR3A, VR5, VR7, VR8, with plans to construct VR11 and VR15 during the Cadia expansion project).

Blasting consists of development blasting and production blasting to precondition the ore. Emulsion explosives are typically used for blasting purposes. Ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO) may be used on occasions if emulsion charging is not available. Hydraulic fracturing is used to augment the caving process, and is conducted from the 5050 mRL level.

Groundwater that accumulates in the underground mine workings is collected, and then pumped to the surface at a maximum rate of about 160 L/s.

Underground facilities include workshops, wash bays, fuel bays, offices, and crib rooms. Underground workshops are used to maintain the development and production fleet. The Cadia East mine is supplied by a dedicated 132 kV transmission line feed which in turn feeds into the site switchyard. Two 33 kV feeders run from the surface substation to provide a ring main to the underground workings.

Ridgeway is a vertical porphyry copper/gold deposit located within the Cadia Valley and approximately 5 km from the ore treatment facility and adjacent to the Cadia Hill deposit. The upper portion of the deposit down to 5040 Level (approximately 800 m below surface) has been mined using SLC methods, resulting in a column of caved material that extends to the surface to form a subsidence zone. An underground crusher was installed at the base of the SLC area and crushed ore was conveyed out of the mine via an inclined conveyor system. SLC mining is now complete.

The Ridgeway Deeps Lift 1 block cave operation was mined between 2007 and 2015 and was Newcrest’s first block cave operation. The change to block caving was introduced after the identification that the grade profile for Ridgeway was declining to the point where subsequent SLC levels below the 5040 mRL were uneconomic. It was also recognised that experience with techniques and methods of cave establishment were required for the then future Cadia East operations which were significantly larger in scale. As a result of extensive reviews and study it was proposed that a 5.6 Mt/a block cave mine be established 250 m downdip of the base of the SLC at the 4786 mRL. Subsequent to establishment and ramp-up, the mine was debottlenecked to the point of achieving a total of 9.6 Mt/a. A total of 17 Mt grading 0.57g/t Au and 0.29% Cu remains in the Lift 1 level.

The majority of the Mineral Reserves for Ridgeway are located in the Ridgeway Deeps Lift 2 block cave. This cave is similar in nature to the original Lift 1 cave with a similar downdip extension depth, similar layout and establishment method, and operational targets for 8 Mt/a.

In 2022 was Panel Cave mining from Cadia East (Panel Cave 1 and 2), with underground crushing and conveyor to surface.


Crushing and Grinding
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Processing

  • Centrifugal concentrator
  • Gravity separation
  • Smelting
  • Flotation

Flow Sheet: Source
Source: Source

Summary:

Ore mined from the Cadia Valley deposits is treated in two operating process plants producing gold rich copper sulphide flotation concentrate for export, and gravity gold doré. Concentrator 1 was commissioned in 1998, designed for Cadia Hill ore and had a design capacity of 17 Mt/a. In 2012, Concentrator 1 was upgraded for the processing of harder Cadia East ore which included the addition of a HPGR circuit, ahead of the SAG Mill, and a third ball mill and third flotation train. Concentrator 1 has a current throughput of about 23 Mt/a. Concentrator 2 was commissioned in 2002, and had a target rate of 4 Mt/a, and currently treats approximately 7 Mt/a. In mid-2008, the facilities were upgraded to suit predictions of harder and fines-deficient ore from Ridgeway Deeps block cave mine. The upgrade included installation of a secondary crushing circuit and additional regrind mill power. A 2.24 MW Vertimill was installed in 2011 to reduce flotation feed size and improve metal recoveries Concentrator 1 has historically been referred to as the low-grade process facility, or the Cadia concentrator. Concentrator 2 has historically been referred to as the high-grade process facility, or the Ridgeway concentrator. Concentrator 1 Design The key unit operations in the processing plant are: -Flash flotation and gravity processing of flash flotation concentrate to produce a gravity gold concentrate for smelting; -Rougher and scavenger flotation of the slurry from the milling circuit with concentrate reporting to regrind circuits utilising Vertimills; -Cleaner and cleaner-scavenger flotation; -Recleaner flotation utilising both conventional and Jameson cell technology. The Jameson cells assist in fluorine rejection; -Two HydroFloat cells processing train 3 scavenger tailings for coarse composite mineral recovery; -Thickening of rougher/scavenger tailings before pumping to a TSF. Concentrator 2 includes the following processes: -Gravity concentration of ground slurry in a centrifugal concentrator to produce a gravity gold concentrate for further upgrade and smelting; -Flash flotation in the milling circuit to recover an additional concentrate suitable for further gravity gold recovery, with the remaining copper concentrate reporting to the flotation cleaning circuit; -Rougher and scavenger flotation in tank flotation cells. Rougher and scavenger concentrates report to cleaning flotation via a regrind circuit using a Vertimill VTM 1250; -Thickening of rougher/scavenger tailings before pumping to a TSF; -Cleaner and cleaner–scavenger flotation; -Recleaner flotation using both conventional and Jameson cells and subsequent thickening of final gold–copper concentrate. The final copper concentrate slurry with a grade of around 25% copper is pumped to the town of Blayney where it is filtered and exported using the same filtration facilities as used by Concentrator 1. Approximately 15% of the gold in feed ore is recovered as gravity concentrate and then smelted on site to produce gold doré for sale. At the world-class Cadia operation, Newcrest received approval to increase permitted processing capacity to 35 million tonnes per annum and the first concentrate shipment of molybdenum was delivered in June 2022 following the commissioning of our new plant.

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter2022202120202019201820172016
Gold Head Grade, g/t 0.870.951.141.241.120.971.14
Copper Head Grade, % 0.390.40.390.38
Gold Recovery Rate, % 77.478.678.478.782.482.9

Production:

CommodityProductUnits2023202220212020201920182017
Gold Metal in conc./ doré koz 560-620 ^561765843913600620
Copper Metal in concentrate kt 95-115 ^8510696916264
Silver Metal in concentrate koz 499643575554359383
Molybdenum Metal in concentrate t 277
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics202220212020201920182017
Tonnes milled 25,861,109 t32,371 kt29,347 kt29,302 kt21,145 kt24,027 kt
Total tonnes mined 33,283 kt30,178 kt28,779 kt22,102 kt18,853 kt
Ore tonnes mined 32,506 kt30,178 kt28,779 kt22,102 kt18,853 kt
Plant annual capacity 32 Mt32 Mt32 Mt32 Mt32 Mt

Reserves at June 30, 2022:
Mineral Resource Cut-Off Criteria: Cadia East Underground- Net Smelter Return (NSR) of approx. A$18.00/t milled; Ridgeway Underground - NSR of A$12.50/t milled; Cadia Extended Underground - NSR of A$18.71/t milled; Cadia Hill Stockpiles - NSR of A$12.81/t milled; Big Cadia - NSR of A$12.81/t milled.

Ore Reserve Cut-Off Criteria: Cadia East Underground - NSR of approx. A$22.11/t milled; Ridgeway Underground - NSR of A$22.40/t milled.

CategoryOreTypeTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Probable 1,280 M dmt Gold 0.42 g/t 17.4 M oz
Probable 1,280 M dmt Copper 0.29 % 3.73 Mt
Probable 1,280 M dmt Silver 0.69 g/t 28.7 M oz
Probable 1,280 M dmt Molybdenum 82 ppm 0.099 Mt
Measured & Indicated 2,790 M dmt Gold 0.37 g/t 32.79 M oz
Measured & Indicated Stockpiles 32 M dmt Gold 0.3 g/t 0.31 M oz
Measured & Indicated 2,790 M dmt Copper 0.26 % 7.26 Mt
Measured & Indicated Stockpiles 32 M dmt Copper 0.13 % 0.041 Mt
Measured & Indicated 2,710 M dmt Silver 0.66 g/t 57.5 M oz
Measured & Indicated 2,600 M dmt Molybdenum 66 ppm 0.17 Mt
Inferred 552 M dmt Gold 0.26 g/t 4.55 M oz
Inferred 552 M dmt Copper 0.2 % 1.078 Mt
Inferred 541 M dmt Silver 0.46 g/t 8.06 M oz
Inferred 500 M dmt Molybdenum 25 ppm 0.012 Mt

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits202220212020201920182017
Credits (by-product) Gold USD -1,464 / oz   -1,138 / oz   -660 / oz   -621 / oz   -690 / oz  
Total cash costs Gold USD -361 / oz†   -258 / oz†   41 / oz†   24 / oz†   80 / oz†  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold USD -124 / oz†   -109 / oz†   160 / oz†   132 / oz†   171 / oz†   241 / oz†  
All-in costs Gold USD 878 / oz†   499 / oz†   399 / oz†   222 / oz†   273 / oz†  
† Net of By-Product.

Financials:

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD 560  
Sustaining costs M USD 141  106  94  95   58   56  
Capital expenditures M USD 685  571  297  176   117   168  
Revenue M USD 1,744  2,180  1,802  1,630   1,182   1,137  
EBIT M USD 1,049  1,416  1,138  946   655   490  
EBITDA M USD 1,229  1,615  1,301  1,134   816   626  
Operating Cash Flow M USD 1,296  1,796  1,286  1,141   801   671  


Pipelines
TypeMaterialDiameterLengthDescription


Heavy Mobile Equipment:
HME TypeModelQuantityRef. Date
Drill jumbo (two boom) Atlas Copco Boomer M2C 1 Dec 15, 2022
Loader Epiroc ST18 Dec 6, 2021

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
Commercial Manager Nick Hill LinkedIn Oct 24, 2022
General Manager Aaron Brannigan LinkedIn Oct 24, 2022
Head of Mine Operations Thomas Lethbridge LinkedIn Oct 24, 2022
Health, Safety & Environment Manager Lyndsay Potts LinkedIn Nov 23, 2022
Metallurgical Superintendent Campbell Haines LinkedIn Oct 24, 2022
Processing Manager Brandon Akerstrom LinkedIn Oct 24, 2022

Staff:

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
1,261 1,067 2,328 2022
1,116 1,013 2,129 2021
1,093 813 1,906 2020
804 834 1,638 2019
708 580 1,288 2018
636 319 955 2017
719 873 1,592 2016

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Annual Report 2022
Corporate Presentation 2022
Financial Review 2022
Other 2022
Quarterly Report 2022
Sustainability Report 2022
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2022
Annual Report 2021
Corporate Presentation 2021
Corporate Presentation 2021
Other 2021
Quarterly Report 2021
Annual Report 2020
Corporate Presentation 2020
Quarterly Report 2020
Sustainability Report 2020
Technical Report 2020
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2020
Annual Report 2019
Corporate Presentation 2019
Quarterly Report 2019
Sustainability Report 2019
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2019
Annual Report 2018
Corporate Presentation 2018
Pre-Feasibility Study Report 2018
Quarterly Report 2018
Sustainability Report 2018
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2018
Annual Report 2017
Corporate Presentation 2017
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2017
Annual Report 2016
Corporate Presentation 2016
Fact Sheet 2015
Technical Report 2011

Aerial view:

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