An application for a major facility expansion at the Ballarat Gold Mine has been submitted to the City of Ballarat for approval.
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The application is for a new tailings storage facility, which is, basically, where all the crushed rock dug out goes after it's processed to remove any gold, and turned into a slurry.
The mine's current storage facilities are full, which has caused operations to slow in recent weeks, but its hoped the new 27-hectare facility at Whitehorse Gully in Mount Clear, south of the mine, will provide another 10 years of capacity.
The proposed area is in a "recently-burnt area" adjacent to a pine plantation - it's noted the works will not impact native vegetation.
See the proposed area here - the current tailings storage facility is to the north, and a Central Highlands Water wastewater plant is to the west:
The application notes a 35-metre high embankment will be built, with a hundred-metre buffer between the works and the closest residential properties, and five hectares of plantation trees for screening.
A new entrance and right-turn lane will be built on Whitehorse Road, the application adds.
Early work for the expansion began in 2018, with meetings with council in 2020, but an alternative dry stacked tailings disposal method was trialled through the rest of the year.
However, this would only buy two years of capacity, and so this method will be used until the new tailing storage facility is finished.
The application notes the facility "is required for (the Ballarat gold mine) to continue operating" and to "ensure (its) viability".
Community information documents supplied by the mine state the proposed facility will meet Australian engineering requirements.
It notes the embankment will hold against a "1 in 10,000 years" flood or earthquake event, and surrounding geology, including historic mineshafts, is "thoroughly identified and managed".
Excess water would be "pumped back to the processing plant for recycling", and a "thick compacted clay liner" will improve permeability. The community information states the facility will be "designed to the same standards as a water reservoir", though it will contain crushed rock "and is operated to be as dry as possible".
The Ballarat Gold Mine is owned and operated by Castlemaine Goldfields, which in turn is owned by Shen Yao Holdings, a Singapore-listed company, and Arete Capital Advisory stepped in to aid management in May.
Operations were temporarily paused earlier this month as water levels in the existing storage facility rose - state regulator Earth Resources Regulation stated it was aware of the issues and is working with the company.
The Ballarat Gold Mine aims to produce 40 to 50,000 ounces of gold a year, with digging extending north to Scott Parade.
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