Sunrise Dam Gold Mine
Encyclopedia
The Sunrise Dam Gold Mine is located 55 km south of Laverton, Western Australia
. It is fully owned by AngloGold Ashanti
. In 2007, it accounted for 11% of the company's production.
The mine is currently the company's only Australian operation. A second Australian project, the Tropicana Gold Mine
, is in development and scheduled to open in 2013.
project, which it sold in early 2009 for $1.5 billion. Acacia, formerly Billiton PLC, was delisted from the Australian Stock Market on 11 January 2000.
In 2003, underground operations commenced.
In 2006, AngloGold signed a contract for conversion of its diesel power generators to liquefied natural gas
as a cost-saving matter as well as to protect the environment.
In the June quarter of 2009, the mine produced 94,000 ounces of gold, a slight reduction to the previous quarter. At the same time, cost fell by 24 % due to the use of existing stockpiles.
During 2009, AngloGold discussed the option of processing ore from the Fortitude deposit, 36 km south of Sunrise Dam and owned by Midas Resources, at the mine.
The majority of the mine workers are on a fly-in fly-out roster, with Skippers Aviation
providing a charter service twice-daily from Monday to Friday.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It is fully owned by AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti Limited is a global gold mining company. It was formed in 2004 by the merger of AngloGold and the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation.AngloGold Ashanti Limited is now a global gold producer with 21 operations on four continents...
. In 2007, it accounted for 11% of the company's production.
The mine is currently the company's only Australian operation. A second Australian project, the Tropicana Gold Mine
Tropicana Gold Mine
The Tropicana Gold Mine project is located 330 km northeast of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Since 2001, it is jointly owned by AngloGold Ashanti and Independence Group NL .The Tropicana tenement consists of 12,500 km2 of land...
, is in development and scheduled to open in 2013.
History
The gold deposit at Sunrise Dam was discovered in August 1988 and gold mining operations started in 1995, mining ore in an open pit, the Mega Pit, which, in 2008, had reached a depth of 440 metres. In March 1997, the first gold was poured at the mine. In 1999, AngloGold acquired the mine through a takeover of Acacia Resources Ltd, a move that also gained it a 33 % stake in the BoddingtonBoddington Gold Mine
The Boddington Gold Mine is a gold and copper mine located 17 km northwest of Boddington, Western Australia.Officially reopened on 3 February 2010, the mine is expected to become Australia's largest gold mine once it reaches full production.-History:...
project, which it sold in early 2009 for $1.5 billion. Acacia, formerly Billiton PLC, was delisted from the Australian Stock Market on 11 January 2000.
In 2003, underground operations commenced.
In 2006, AngloGold signed a contract for conversion of its diesel power generators to liquefied natural gas
Liquefied natural gas
Liquefied natural gas or LNG is natural gas that has been converted temporarily to liquid form for ease of storage or transport....
as a cost-saving matter as well as to protect the environment.
In the June quarter of 2009, the mine produced 94,000 ounces of gold, a slight reduction to the previous quarter. At the same time, cost fell by 24 % due to the use of existing stockpiles.
During 2009, AngloGold discussed the option of processing ore from the Fortitude deposit, 36 km south of Sunrise Dam and owned by Midas Resources, at the mine.
The majority of the mine workers are on a fly-in fly-out roster, with Skippers Aviation
Skippers Aviation
Skippers Aviation is an airline based in Osborne Park, a suburb of Perth. It is a charter company specialising in mining crew changes, executive charters and general flying for the mining industry in Western Australia, as well as search and rescue and medevac operations. It was established and...
providing a charter service twice-daily from Monday to Friday.
Production
Past production figures were:| Year | Production | Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 2000 | 309,000 ounces | 3.87 g/t | A$ Australian dollar The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu... 309 |
| 2001 | 297,000 ounces | 4.12 g/t | A$ 311 |
| 2002 | 382,000 ounces | 3.49 g/t | A$ 312 |
| 2003 | 358,000 ounces | 3.12 g/t | US$ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... 228 |
| 2004 | 410,000 ounces | 3.46 g/t | US$ 260 |
| 2005 | 455,000 ounces | 3.68 g/t | US$ 269 |
| 2006 | 465,000 ounces | 3.39 g/t | US$ 298 |
| 2007 | 600,000 ounces | 4.86 g/t | US$ 306 |
| 2008 | 433,000 ounces | 3.46 g/t | US$ 531 |
| 2009 | 401,000 ounces | 2.87 g/t | US$ 646 |
| 2010 |
External links
- AngloGold Ashanti website - Country Report Australia
- New Gold Discoveries & Mines Article on new mines in WA, published: 1999