| Cadia | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
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Cadia mine
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| Location | Orange |
| State | New South Wales |
| Country | Australia |
| Owner | |
| Company | Newcrest Mining |
| Website | Cadia Valley Operations |
| ASX | NCM |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper Gold |
| Production | Copper: 57,000 tonnes Gold: 532,187 ounces |
| Financial year | 2008-09 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1998 |
| Closed | 2013 (forecast) |
Cadia Mine is a large open cut gold and copper mine located about 20 kilometres south of the regional city of Orange, New South Wales, Australia. The mine has been developed throughout the 1990s and is a major employer in the region with an expected lifespan of several decades. Cadia is the second largest open cut mine in Australia after the Super Pit at Kalgoorlie. Large mineral deposits are also being uncovered from the more recently developed Ridgeway underground mine which is adjacent to the Cadia Mine.
The mine is operated by Newcrest Mining. Cadia-Ridgeway is one of three gold mines Newcrest currently operates in Australia, the other two being Telfer in Western Australia and Cracow in Queensland. A fourth gold mine owned by the company is the Gosowong Mine in Indonesia.[1]
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In May 2007, due to the prolonged drought which was likely to adversely affect production in the near future, the company approached Orange City Council requesting to use some of the town water supply. Orange City Council subsequently agreed to allow a supply initially from Gosling Creek Reservoir and then if necessary from Lake Canobolas. The two main water supplies for Orange, Suma Park Dam and Spring Creek Reservoir will not be used. Cabonne Shire Council later offered to supply water from a disused quarry on Icely Road to the east of Orange. There is also a recent dispute (July 2009) currently in the courts between Orange City Council and Newcrest Mining to the current rights to the towns treated Effluent water that the mine has received for free since beginning its operations in the late 1990s. Orange City Council believes the mine has broken the original agreement they had with the mine due to the mine's recent expansion and development of Cadia East and Ridgeway Deeps projects, they now would like the mine to purchase the treated effluent water.[2]