Mount Lyell copper mine will operate in a fundamentally different way than it did before three workers died more than a decade ago, its general manager says.
Sibanye-Stillwater has approved a $490 million restart of the Queenstown mine, which has sat on care and maintenance since 2014 after the deaths in two separate incidents in 2013 and 2014.
General manager Clint Mayes said safety had been the focus from day one and the company had reviewed historical incidents before settling on the design.
“While no mine is risk-free, there’s nothing more important than the health and wellbeing of our people,” Mayes said.
“Our commitment is to operate safely and ensure that every person goes home in one piece.”
He said the biggest risk was an inrush or mud rush and the company had worked with universities to understand the material it would mine.
Automated technology will remove workers from the drill points during mining.
Mayes said the company had engaged with the families of the men who died and had brought them through the process.
The mine will employ about 300 people at full production, similar to the workforce before the shutdown.
Construction of a new processing plant is due to begin in the first half of 2027, with mining to start in early 2028 and production in early 2029.
Business, Industry and Resources Minister Felix Ellis said the closure had reshaped the West Coast.
“When Mount Lyell closed, it really changed a lot of things for the West Coast,” Ellis said.
“The kids are having conversations around the dinner table with mum about when dad’s gonna come home.”
He said the state government had delivered $9.5 million in early works and reconfirmed $25 million in support to be paid through payroll tax and royalty reimbursements once mining recommences.
West Coast Council Mayor Shane Pitt, who spent more than 30 years at the mine, said he had never doubted it would reopen.
“I’ve always had that feeling in the back of my mind that this place will go,” Pitt said.
He said the town had diversified into tourism, arts and culture since the closure and the mine would broaden that base rather than replace it.
Shadow Minister for Resources Shane Broad, who flew with Minister Ellis to the West Coast on Tuesday morning, said the announcement would be felt across the state.
“Three hundred permanent jobs here, well-paying jobs in Queenstown will change the town for the better,” Broad said.
