MMG Golden Grove celebrates 20 years of operation

By Liz Owen, Group Recruitment Team Leader at MMG on 01 Dec 10

MMG Golden Grove has celebrated 20 years of operation at its mine site in the Mid West region of Western Australia.

Long-serving staff, past general managers and directors, representatives from local councils and shires, government departments and industry bodies flew to the Golden Grove site to recognise this important milestone.

MMG Golden Grove General Manager, Nick Mosenthal, said after 20 years of operation Golden Grove was still going strong.

“Golden Grove is a world-class operation, and we have achieved extraordinary things over the past 20 years,” said Mr Mosenthal.

“We have increased our mill throughput from 800,000 tonnes to 1.7 million tonnes since operation began, and have improved our safety record, environmental practices and investment in the local community,” he said.

The operation has been in continual production since 1990, and Mr Mosenthal said the mine looks likely to continue for some time.

“We are confident that our recent exploration success and planned operational projects, such as the reopening of the Scuddles mine, and the start of an Open Pit Copper Mine in 2011, will extend the life of the mine past the current six-year forecast,” said Mr Mosenthal.

“Golden Grove has had an interesting journey over the past 20 years, and we look forward to continuing that journey in the years to come as we take our business to the next level of operational excellence,” he said.

The potential for the Golden Grove belt was first recognised by geologist, Joshua Pitt, then of Aztec Mining Company in the early 1970s.

Golden Grove is owned by MMG one of the world’s largest producers of zinc, and a substantial producer of copper, lead, silver and gold. MMG is 100% owned by China Minmetals Corporation, a Chinese-State Owned Enterprise (SOE) and one of the world’s largest metal trading businesses.

Golden Grove is one of four operating MMG mine sites and produces concentrates of zinc, copper and other base and precious metals, from the Gossan Hill and Scuddles mines.