Greatland Gold is eyeing a major expansion for its Telfer gold-copper mine in Western Australia following the release of its inaugural mineral resource estimate (MRE).
Up to 3.2 million ounces (Moz) of gold and 117,000 tonnes (t) of copper have now been confirmed at the site, bringing Greatland’s total group mineral resources to 10.2Moz of gold and 387,000t of copper.
“This exceptional outcome is a testament to the significant opportunities we saw at Telfer during our acquisition due diligence, and the excellent work of our team to progress and validate those opportunities in short order,” Greatland managing director Shaun Day said.
Greatland officially acquired Telfer from Newmont late last year in a package that also delivered the prospective Havieron project, said to be the second largest undeveloped gold project in Australia only behind De Grey Mining’s Hemi gold project.
“When we announced the acquisition, we described an initial 15-month mine plan at Telfer to produce 374,000 ounces of gold and 13,000 tonnes of copper,” Day said.
“Our two key focuses at Telfer now are continuing safe and profitable operations and demonstration of mine life extension.”
The MRE will form the basis of Greatland’s inaugural Telfer ore reserve, targeted for the June 2025 quarter.
Additional drill capacity has been mobilised to site, targeting high priority infill and extension targets identified during the Telfer MRE process.
There are currently four drill rigs operating at site (two each within the open pit and underground respectively) with a further two drill rigs mobilising later this year.
“This Telfer MRE confirms the very significant extension opportunities we see at Telfer and gives us confidence in the opportunity to extend Telfer’s mine life,” day said.
“This result is an important step towards a long life integrated Havieron and Telfer mining operation.”
