The Agnew Gold Mining Company Proprietary Limited (AGMC), was incorporated as the legal entity holding and conducting mining activity on the Agnew mineral leases. Gold Fields holds 100% of the issued shares of AGMC through its 100% holding in the issued shares of Orogen Holding (BVI) Limited.
Contractor | Contract | Description | Ref. Date | Expiry | Source |
Barminco Holdings Pty Ltd.
|
Mining
|
Agnew mine is made up of both Waroonga and New Holland underground operations. Barminco provides diamond drilling to both sites and, underground production mining and underground development services at Waroonga operations. Approximately 190 people work across both sites, with production rates of approximately 0.5Mt per year.
Under the contract extension, Perenti will continue underground development and production works at the Agnew underground gold mine for a period of 12 months.
|
Jan 18, 2024
|
|
|
EDL
|
Power supply
|
The Agnew Hybrid Renewable Project has delivered Australia’s largest hybrid renewable energy microgrid—the first in the country to utilise wind generation on a large scale at a mine site.
EDL delivered this innovative hybrid renewable energy system under a 10-year agreement with Gold Fields.
Start of operation: May 2020
The microgrid at Agnew comprises four key components managed by an advanced control system:
• five 110m wind turbines, each with a rotor diameter of 140m, delivering 18MW
• a 10,710-panel solar farm generating 4MW
• a 13MW/4MWh battery system
• off-grid 21MW gas/diesel engine power plant.
|
Apr 19, 2024
|
2030
|
|
MLG Oz Ltd.
|
Haulage
|
The renewal and extension of contracts with Gold Fields, meanwhile, will see MLG’s current Agnew operations continue, with the term extended for a minimum three-year period with an additional optional extension period of two years at Gold Fields’ discretion. This award extends MLG’s delivery of integrated site services and haulage activities to Gold Fields’ Agnew operation out to 16 years.
At Barren Lands, the open-pit mining contract award with Gold Fields will see MLG Oz develop a new pit through the provision of heavy earthworks. Included within this is a Liebherr 9150 excavator.
|
Nov 30, 2022
|
16
|
|
Deposit type
- Vein / narrow vein
- Breccia pipe / Stockwork
- Hydrothermal
Summary:
Agnew is located in the northern portion of the north-northwest trending Archean Norseman-Wiluna Greenstone Belt, which forms part of the Yilgarn Craton, a 2.7 Ga granite-greenstone terrain in southern Western Australia.
Gold deposits along the Norseman-Wiluna Greenstone Belt are hosted within a diverse range of rocks, including basalts and dolerites, fine to coarse-grained sedimentary rocks, and felsic to intermediate intrusives. Host rocks are commonly metamorphosed to greenschist or lower amphibolite facies. Gold mineralisation is typically structurally controlled, occurring within a network of shear zones proximal to major regional faults. The most important gold mineralisation styles are shear hosted quartz-carbonate bearing breccia lodes and associated quartz vein arrays, together with finely disseminated gold associated with zones of strong hydrothermal alteration. Alteration comprises silica or albite-rich zones, associated with ankerite, sericite, biotite or amphibole, together with pyrite, pyrrhotite or arsenopyrite as sulphide-bearing phases.
The most substantial gold deposits and the focus of most previous exploration and mining activity at Agnew are located along the western limb of the Lawlers anticline (Waroonga, Redeemer and New Holland complexes) spatially related to the north-northwest trending Waroonga and EMU shears.
Although all Agnew deposits broadly occur at the intersections between structures and stratigraphy, there are subtle differences in alteration and mineralisation that are controlled in part by the local host rock chemistry. Mineralisation zones are discontinuous with short range predictability.
Significant deposits are also found on the eastern limb (e.g. McCaffery, Fairyland) and associated with late-stage geological cross-structures (Lawlers). These deposits were explored and mined by previous owners of the Property.
While most of the western limb deposits are broadly related to intersections between structures and mafic-ultramafic stratigraphy, there are subtle differences in alteration and mineralisation controlled in part by the local host rock chemistry. Songvang is unusual in its relatively high lead, silver and fluorine content, possibly reflecting input from tonalite and porphyry intrusions. There also appears to be a slight decline in mineralisation temperatures from south to north, associated with the north plunge of the Lawlers anticline and resultant erosion of the overlying, lower temperature rocks to the south. This temperature change is reflected in the changing mineralisation styles from south to north, with biotite-garnet alteration assemblages dominating to the south and quartz veining to the north.
The New Holland complex is located between the Waroonga and EMU shears within a locally mineralized zone known as the Glasgow Lass trend, hosted by sedimentary rocks of the Scotty Creek Formation. The sedimentary rocks at this locality strike north-south and dip steeply to the west. Gold mineralisation is largely confined to quartz veins wil n sandstone and siltstone. Ore zones occur in discrete veins at low angles, dipping predominantly to the east. Higher grade westerly dipping quartz veins are also present in sandstone. The eastern contact of the sandstone is erosional and sharp, resting on siltstone. The western contact is gradational, fining to very fine-grained sand and siltstone.
Reserves at December 31, 2023
Mineral Reserves cut-off for underground 3.0 – 4.8 g/t and for open pit 0.97 g/t.
Mineral Resources cut-off for underground 2.3 – 4.2 g/t and for open pit 0.84 – 1.00 g/t.
Category | Ore Type | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
Stockpiles
|
29 kt
|
Gold
|
7.7 g/t
|
7 koz
|
Probable
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
91 kt
|
Gold
|
3.4 g/t
|
10 koz
|
Probable
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
3,858 kt
|
Gold
|
6.9 g/t
|
855 koz
|
Probable
|
Total
|
3,949 kt
|
Gold
|
6.8 g/t
|
865 koz
|
Proven & Probable
|
Total
|
3,978 kt
|
Gold
|
6.8 g/t
|
872 koz
|
Measured
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
93 kt
|
Gold
|
5.5 g/t
|
17 koz
|
Indicated
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
1,310 kt
|
Gold
|
2.5 g/t
|
105 koz
|
Indicated
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
4,874 kt
|
Gold
|
5 g/t
|
777 koz
|
Indicated
|
Total
|
6,184 kt
|
Gold
|
4.4 g/t
|
883 koz
|
Measured & Indicated
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
4,967 kt
|
Gold
|
5 g/t
|
794 koz
|
Measured & Indicated
|
Total
|
6,277 kt
|
Gold
|
4.5 g/t
|
899 koz
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
282 kt
|
Gold
|
4.6 g/t
|
42 koz
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
3,825 kt
|
Gold
|
4.3 g/t
|
523 koz
|
Inferred
|
Total
|
4,108 kt
|
Gold
|
4.3 g/t
|
564 koz
|
Mining Methods
- Truck & Shovel / Loader
- Sub-level stoping
- Longhole open stoping
- Room-and-pillar
Summary:
The mining process and methods comprises two principal activities: (i) developing access to the orebody: and (ii) extracting the orebody once accessed. These two processes apply to both surface and underground mines.
Open pit
In open pit mining, access to the orebody is achieved by stripping the overburden in benches of fixed height to expose the ore below. This is most typically achieved by drilling and blasting an area, loading the broken rock with excavators into dump trucks and hauling the rock and/or soil to dumps. The overburden material is placed on designated waste rock dumps.
Extraction of the orebody involves a similar activity as in stripping the overburden. Lines are established on the pit floor demarcating ore from waste material and the rock is then drilled and blasted. Post blasting, the ore is loaded into dump trucks, based on a defined ‘dig plan® demarcating the position of the ore and waste boundaries post the heave and throw movement caused by the blasting, and hauled to interim stockpiles or directly to the crusher at the process plant, while the waste is hauled to waste rock dumps.
There has been no open pit mining at Agnew since 2012, but this will change in H2 2022 with Barren Lands Open pit planned to start.
Open pit mining will be by conventional drill and blast, with truck and shovel operations. Overall, the pits represent 4 % of the total reserve ounces for Agnew.
The open pits are seen as a consolidated approximate 12-month duration opportunity to ensure critical mass in mobilizing a contractor to complete all the open pits then de-mobilize. The drill, blast, truck and shovel equipment supplied will be supportive of mining the narrow orebodies with minimum dilution.
The open pits will be sequenced together to optimize the waste strip and expedite the ore to the processing facility. Agnew is not expecting to build significant stockpiles for future processing.
Mining in the Barren Lands open pit was completed in 2023 and portal development for the underground operations commenced.
Underground
For Agnew’s underground mines, access is through single or multiple decline haulages extending from surface portals. Horizontal and decline development at various intervals from the main decline, known as levels, extend laterally and provide access to the ore horizons for mining.
Once an orebody is accessed for mining (or stoping), production activities consisting of drilling, blasting, cleaning, ground support and transporting rock, which are carried out on a daily basis.
Broken ore is loaded straight from the stope face into trucks, using mechanical loaders, and hauled to the surface by underground dump trucks via the declines. Application of backfill or paste fill to the mined-out areas to support the ground is based on local conditions and is not always required in shallow underground mining areas.
Both Waroonga and New Holland are established mines with existing infrastructure. The Redeemer Complex is proximal to the historic underground, and includes establishment of a new portal, surface infrastructure, declines, and underground infrastructure.
Mining operations at Agnew are carried out by a mixture of owner-operators and contractors, with equipment replacement schedules and leasing requirements considered in the mine plans. The reserves life of mine plan and associated financial models include sufficient infrastructure and sustaining capital investment for all mines to execute the life of mine plan.
Waroonga
The primary mining method at Waroonga is long-hole sublevel stoping with paste fill.
Waroonga is predominantly mined using open stoping with cemented paste fill where required. The underground mining is carried out under contract to Barminco including the supply of all equipment.
The mining method at Waroonga involves development of a hangingwall access drives parallel to the orebody, from which crosscuts are mined into the mineralized lode. Ore drives are mined north and south, with long-hole open stopes of 15 m to 25 m strike lengths. The level spacing is 20 m to 25 m floor to floor. Stopes, once complete, are backfilled with cemented paste fill where required, produced from screened dry tailings with the addition of sand and cement as a binder. Backfill is used for regional stability, minimize mining spans and to increase ore extraction ratios.
The general sequence for most of the mine is top-down, maintaining a 45° advancing front, retreat mining along strike under exposed paste fill from the mined-out levels. In some areas, including the upper parts of the FBH orebody and Waroonga North, a bottom-up mining sequence was introduced to provide additional mining areas.
The Edmunds orebody sits in the footwall of the Kim South lode and is generally accessed from the Kim South crosscuts after paste filling on the level that has been completed. The Edmunds mining method is similar to the Kim South orebody, with a retreat stoping sequence. Edmunds strike lengths are between 15 m to 20 m, and all stopes are paste filled allowing improved extraction of the ore.
The mining method employed for the Main orebody evolved considerably over previous years. Modifications and redesigns to both on-level development and stoping extraction are made as the geological and geotechnical understanding improves.
The FBH mining area is located approximately 350 m along strike to the south of the Kim South orebody, and consists of multiple north-south narrow lodes dipping 65° to the west. The mining method for FBH is long-hole open stoping with paste fill. Stoping is top-down or bottom-up. FBH uses parallel developed tunnels with stoping retreating to the central accesses. Stope sizes are adjusted depending on competent or poor ground conditions.
New Holland
The mining methods used for the Mineral reserves at New Holland are inclined room and pillar and long-hole open stoping. All underground mining is completed by an owner-operator team.
Long-hole open stoping is the principal ore extraction method, accounting for the majority of ore tonnes. Where necessary, rib and crown pillars are employed to maintain the stability of the stopes. Arch designed stope crowns assist stability.
Island pillars optimize extraction and are incorporated into the mine design when the dominant westerly-dipping structures are encountered. Pillar spans and spacing are based on the results of numerical stability modelling.
Redeemer
The undeveloped Redeemer Zone 2 and Barren Lands underground is offset to the north of the former Redeemer mine which is backfilled with tailings. Redeemer Zone 2 is 1 m to 10 m wide, with the majority of the targeted ore ranging from 1.5 m to 3.0 m wide at an inclination of 70 ° to 90 °. The mine is 200 m to 500 m below surface with an orebody horizontal extent of circa 400 m.
Redeemer Zone 2 and Barren Lands underground will be mined by long-hole open stoping with rib pillars and selective paste fill, top-down and a circa 45 ° geotechnical production front. A central access design allows for northern and southern ore drives along the orebody. Stoping retreats to the central access.
Comminution
Crushers and Mills
Type | Model | Size | Power | Quantity |
Jaw crusher
|
|
|
|
1
|
Cone crusher
|
|
|
|
2
|
Ball mill
|
|
|
1200 kW
|
2
|
Summary:
The crushing circuit comprises of a primary jaw crusher followed by a secondary and two tertiary crushers in closed circuit with double deck screens. Crushed product is fed from the fine ore stockpile and ground to 80 % passing 125 um using a two-stage closed circuit primary and secondary ball milling circuit with two overflow type ball mills and 1,200 kW motors.
In 2022, Agnew complete the mill crushing circuit replacement:
The construction of a new crusher was completed. It comprised a 3 Stage crushing plant. Additionally, a fine ore bin was installed for dust management within the crushing area. The mill throughput was increased to 1.4Mtpa, with future-proofing for up to 1.7Mtpa.
Processing
- Gravity separation
- Carbon re-activation kiln
- Centrifugal concentrator
- Crush & Screen plant
- Concentrate leach
- Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
- Inline Leach Reactor (ILR)
- Carbon in pulp (CIP)
- Elution
- Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
- Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
- Cyanide (reagent)
Summary:
The Agnew processing plant consists of a tertiary crushing circuit, followed by a two-stage ball milling circuit with gravity and a conventional leach/CIP gold recovery circuit (1.35Mtpa capacity).
The plant capacity was increased to 1.35Mtpa at the end of 2022.
The gravity circuit comprises two 40" QS40 Knelson concentrators with dedicated InLine Leach Reactor for intensive cyanidation of the gravity concentrate.
The leach circuit is comprised of three air agitated Pachuca leach tanks each providing an effective volume of 4,100 m3. The adsorption circuit consists of six air agitated Pachuca adsorption tanks with an effective volume of 3,000 m3. Each adsorption tank is fitted with “V" style inter-stage screens and an airlift carbon advance system. Loaded carbon is recovered from the first adsorption tank via a vibrating loaded carbon screen. Loaded carbon from the adsorption circuit reports to the acid wash hopper where it undergoes a hot hydrochloric acid wash.
Acid washed carbon is loaded into a pressure Zadra elution column followed by electrowinning at approximately 130°C and 350 kPa. The elution column has a 3.0 t capacity and one elution is conducted each day. Barren carbon from the elution circuit is regenerated in a carbon regeneration kiln.
Gold sludge from both the gravity and electrowinning circuits is washed and filtered. The sludge is further refined through smelting and crude doré is poured. Gravity doré bars are approximately 90 % to 95 % gold whereas doré bars from the CIP circuit are dependent on ore feed characteristics and can vary between 65 % and 80 % gold. Doré is dispatched to the Perth Mint refinery for further processing into gold bullion.
Recoveries & Grades:
Commodity | Parameter | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Gold
|
Recovery Rate, %
| 95 | 95 | 95 | 94.6 | 94.2 | 94.2 | 94.4 | 93.6 | 94.8 |
Gold
|
Head Grade, g/t
| 6 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 6.49 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.4 |
Pipelines and Water Supply
Type | Material | Diameter | Length | Description |
Tailings pipeline
|
|
|
15.7 km
|
|
Summary:
All water used at Agnew is sourced from groundwater. The primary and largest use of groundwater is for ore processing, followed by dust suppression, paste plant operations and potable water.
Mine dewatering is reused within the underground mine for dust suppression, the paste plant and to supplement process water. Return water return from the tailings storage facilities is the largest source of water for the process plant. A water supply of up to 4,900 kl/day is required for processing.
Additional water is supplied from the Fairyland borefield (located approximately 22km from the process plant) and the Daisy Queen borefield (located approximately 12km from the process plant), EMU borefield (approximately 2km from process plant) and the former Hidden Secret open pit at New Holland.
The current operation is utilizing 50 percent of the licenced allocation (3,377,980 kl/annum of 6,810,000 kl/annum) across three GWLs. 2 Gl/annum is required for mine make-up water requirements.
Production
Commodity | Units | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Gold
|
koz
| 235 ^ | 245 | 239 | 223 | 233 | 219 | 238 | 241 | 229 | 237 |
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.
^ Guidance / Forecast.
Operational metrics
Metrics | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Plant annual capacity
| 1.35 Mt | 1.35 Mt | 1.35 Mt | 1.3 Mt | 1.3 Mt | 1.3 Mt | 1.3 Mt | 1.3 Mt | 1.3 Mt |
Waste
| 4,037 kt | 1,450 kt | | | | | | | |
Ore tonnes mined
| 1,326 kt | 1,108 kt | 1,048 kt | 1,294 kt | 1,284 kt | 1,216 kt | 1,174 kt | 1,208 kt | 1,199 kt |
Total tonnes mined
| 5,363 kt | 2,559 kt | 1,941 kt | 2,044 kt | 1,961 kt | 1,955 kt | 1,905 kt | 1,983 kt | 1,939 kt |
Tonnes processed
| 1,342 kt | 1,198 kt | 1,254 kt | 1,357 kt | 1,231 kt | 1,178 kt | 1,235 kt | 1,176 kt | 1,218 kt |
Waste UG
| | | 893 kt | 750 kt | 678 kt | 739 kt | 731 kt | 774 kt | 740 kt |
Production Costs
| Commodity | Units | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
All-in sustaining costs (sold)
|
Gold
|
USD
|
1,257 / oz ^ **
|
1,182 / oz **
|
1,130 / oz **
|
1,164 / oz **
|
1,017 / oz **
|
1,152 / oz **
|
1,026 / oz **
|
977 / oz **
|
All-in costs
|
Gold
|
USD
|
1,393 / oz ^ **
|
1,288 / oz **
|
1,298 / oz **
|
1,308 / oz **
|
1,053 / oz **
|
1,152 / oz **
|
1,026 / oz **
|
977 / oz **
|
^ Guidance / Forecast.
** Net of By-Product.
Financials
| Units | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Capital expenditures (planned)
|
M USD
| 78 | | | | |
|
|
|
Growth Capital
|
M USD
| | 16 | 31 | 32 | 9 |
41
|
|
|
Sustaining costs
|
M USD
| | 54.5 | 54.4 | 56.3 | 43 |
35.5
|
|
|
Capital expenditures
|
M USD
| | 70.4 | 85.1 | 88.2 | 52 |
76.1
|
73
|
74
|
Revenue
|
M USD
| | 473.6 | 427.9 | 402 | 411.5 |
304.6
|
301.1
|
302.6
|
Operating Income
|
M USD
| | | | | |
|
|
|
Gross profit
|
M USD
| | | | | |
|
|
|
Heavy Mobile Equipment
HME Type | Model | Quantity |
Drill
|
Atlas Copco
|
2
|
Drill
|
|
2
|
Jumbo
|
Sandvik
|
2
|
Jumbo
|
Sandvik
|
2
|
Loader
|
Caterpillar
|
4
|
Loader
|
Caterpillar
|
4
|
Truck (underground)
|
Atlas Copco
|
8
|
Truck (underground)
|
|
4
|
Personnel
Job Title | Name | Phone | Profile | Ref. Date |
General Manager Operations
|
Craig Bradshaw
|
|
|
Apr 18, 2024
|
Maintenance Superintendent
|
Jim Innes
|
|
|
Apr 18, 2024
|
Mine Manager
|
Bart Jesionek
|
|
|
Aug 6, 2024
|
Process Manager
|
Matt McKee-Duff
|
|
|
Apr 18, 2024
|
Vice President of Mining
|
Jason Sander
|
+61 (0) 8 9088-3801
|
|
Apr 18, 2024
|
Employees | Contractors | Total Workforce | Year |
314
|
473
|
787
|
2023
|
308
|
503
|
811
|
2022
|
605
|
|
|
2021
|
605
|
|
|
2020
|
605
|
|
|
2019
|
605
|
|
|
2018
|
605
|
|
|
2017
|
620
|
|
|
2016
|