Redpath and Newmont have officially completed the development of the Tanami Expansion 2 (TE2) shaft at its Tanami gold mining operation in the Northern Territory of Australia, becoming the deepest hoisting shaft in the country.
The contractor confirmed that concrete lining on the 1,460-m-deep shaft was now complete, marking completion of the project.
Redpath said: “Well done to the Redpath and Newmont Australia TE2 Shaft team, who have overcome all challenges along the way; most notably poor ground and significant overbreak conditions in the lower shaft. This is an incredible achievement.”
TE2 will now pivot to the next phase of shaft equipping, starting with retreat of the shaft to the to surface, followed by an equipping changeover period, Redpath explained. This will enable the commencement of shaft equipping phase, where we will be installing shaft furniture the entire length of the shaft.
Included within this project is four shaft station developments; one overhead protection pentice; three grouting campaigns to mitigate water ingress into the shaft; some 21,016 cu.m of concrete volume, including 6,700 cu.m of bulk fill concrete, more than than 7,947 rock bolts (92% installed in the lower shaft); a 11 kV HV electrical cable equivalent to 9 km in length and some 10 km of pipes.
TE2 will transform Tanami into a state-of-the-art crush and hoist operation, and it will add another 150,000 to 200,000 gold ounces per year to production while at the same time reducing operating costs by circa-30%, Newmont says. The 1,460-m-deep shaft is the deepest raise bore shaft in Australia. The project includes an accommodation village, refrigeration & water treatment plants, plus concrete batch plant.
