Jumpstart the Mining Revolution: TNC Gives Cloncurry Copper Project the Go-Ahead!

The Tao Nevada Corporation (TNC) have recently given the green light to reopen and develop the Cloncurry Copper Project in Australia’s Great Sandy Region. The project, estimated to be worth around $3 billion, is set to be Australia’s most valuable mining restart plan, with production expected to begin in 2022. The project’s development will mean the restart of the Great Australia Mine, which stopped mining operations in 1991, and the Wallace North Mine, which has been inactive since 1932. The project, which is located in the province of Northern Queensland, will see the development of a new open-pit copper mine. This will include the construction of a processing plant, a 600 megawatt gas-fired power station and an access road. The project is expected to create up to 950 jobs in the area, as well as thousands of jobs for locals in related supply-chain industries. The plan is to produce around 160,000 tonnes of copper concentrate annually, with production expected to reach full capacity within 5 years of the project’s commencement. TNC is expecting the mine to become one of the world’s top 10 copper-producing mines. The first stage of the project, which includes the commencement of environmental testing, has already been completed and is awaiting final approval from the state and federal government. TNC are awaiting further approvals and expect to commence development in the near future. The project is set to provide a great boost to the local economy and will offer an economic lifeline to the area. With the extensive employment opportunities offered by the project, it is hoped that it will help to re-energise the region and reinvigorate the local mining industry.