New Century Resources Ltd. kicked off hydraulic mining operations at the Century zinc mine in Queensland, Australia.

The Century mine has an estimated annual production capacity of 264,000 tonnes of zinc and 3 million ounces of silver over an initial 6.3-year mine life, based on current reserves.

The company said Aug. 9 that refurbishment and commissioning costs for the mine restart were in line with estimates outlined in a late 2017 feasibility study.

New Century awarded a five-year, A$110 million contract to CIMIC Group's Sedgman Pty. Ltd. in May to operate and maintain its Lawn Hill processing plant, concentrate pipeline and Karumba Port facility as part of the Century restart.