CMOC-Northparkes Mine (Northparkes) has celebrated its 400th shipment this week, with the mine pumping out 1.168 million tonnes of copper and 1.464 million ounces of gold after first opening in 1994.
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Northparkes has been operating for over 25 years and the operation is made up of an underground block cave mine, a sub-level cave and an ore processing plant which produces copper concentrate for export.
The ore is processed onsite to produce a high-grade copper concentrate which is then transported by road train to the Goonumbla rail siding, which is located approximately 13 kilometres from the mine.
The containers are then placed onto a train and transported to Port Kembla, a major port just south of Wollongong. The concentrate is then shipped to customers primarily in China and Japan.
Northparkes Managing Director Hubert Lehman was full of admiration ahead of the milestone.
"This week we are celebrating our 400th shipment and in just over 25 years we have produced 1.168 million tonnes of copper and 1.464 million ounces of gold.
"To all the people who work here today and to those that have come and gone, each and every single one of you has played an integral role in contributing to the milestone. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank you for your hard work and dedication to our operations," said Hubert
Hubert spoke of the support and encouragement of the community, and the role they have played in the success of their operation.
"I would like to formally extend my thanks to both the local communities of Parkes and Forbes for their continued support enabling us to achieve this milestone."
Not content with just producing gold and copper, Northparkes has also contributed $409.7 million to the Central West through salaries, sponsorships, government dues and payments to local businesses over the past five years.
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