Barrick Gold Corp.'s and Newmont Mining Corp.'s equally-owned joint venture in Western Australia, the Kalgoorlie Super Pit gold mine, is looking at layoffs following two rock falls that suspended operations for the last two weeks, Kalgoorlie Miner reported May 28.
The joint venture company, Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Pty. Ltd., has also introduced a hiring freeze due to safety concerns at the northern side of the pit where wall slips occurred on May 14 and May 15.
Mining operations are continuing at the pit's southern side. However, General Manager Cecile Thaxter said the incidents will have an impact on production, with lower mining rates that may lead to a reduction in the workforce.
Meanwhile, the Mount Charlotte underground mine, and the Gidji and Fimiston processing plants are operating normally.
The joint venture plans to start cutback on the southern side of the pit, following approval, which is anticipated to extend open pit mining to 2026 as the current Golden Pike operations are estimated to wind up by 2021.
