Ravenswood gets the nod

THE State Government has granted a further three mining leases to support Resolute Mining’s $150 million Ravenswood Expansion Project.

The new approvals are in addition to nine leases granted last month.

Resolute proposes to spend about $150 million redeveloping mining pits close to the historic gold mining town, to secure about 380 jobs — 280 in production and 100 in construction.

The three new leases extend the surface area of Resolute’s existing tenure and include areas within the operational footprint of the proposed Buck Reef West open pit, noise bunding zone and nearby land required for infrastructure including roads and water management.

The expansion of Resolute’s tenure supports a strategic review of the project that is exploring technical enhancements, while the company is also seeking additional environmental approvals to expand the existing Nolans tailings storage facility for a potential increase in the scale of the entire project.

Resolute managing director John Welborn said the granting of the leases supported an ongoing investigation into a possible larger-scale expansion at Ravenswood.

They remained excited about the potential of the project, he said.

“The Ravenswood gold mine will deliver low-cost production for at least the next 14 years and will provide local employment and supplier opportunities, community benefits, revenue for the Queensland Government and strong returns for Resolute’s shareholders,” Mr Welborn said.