FOLLOWING a sampling project, 28 current and historic mine sites in NSW have been identified as potentially having critical minerals and high-tech metals deposits hidden inside their old waste, including Stratford.
For mines that have closed, the NSW Government says the results could mean new opportunities for production, bringing more jobs and investment opportunities to communities across regional NSW.
The Geological Survey of NSW’s Mine Reuse Project collected more than 1,200 samples, which were run through the latest sampling techniques and underwent high precision chemical analysis to identify critical minerals.
This uncovered elevated concentrations of 11 critical minerals and high-tech metals, including copper, cobalt, silver and antimony.
Chief Geoscientist and head of the Geological Survey of NSW, Dr Phil Blevin said, “The Mine Reuse Project is a direct outcome of the government’s commitment to a Critical Mineral and High-Tech Metals Strategy that drives investment and innovation in the exploration and mining sector through the provision of world-class and targeted precompetitive geoscience.
“There is a significant multiplier effect in the provision of this data, and it helps drive exploration and innovation.
“The results of the Mine Reuse Project is just another example of this.”
Historic mines where sampling occurred include CSA in the Central West, Queen Bee, Great Cobar and Nymagee in the Far West, Endeavour Elura and Endeavour McKinnons in the Central West, and Hillgrove in the Northern Tablelands.
Current mines where researchers were looking for additional materials include Peak Gold Mine and Tritton near Cobar, RASP and Southern Operations near Broken Hill, and Stratford in the Upper Hunter.
The Mine Reuse Project also identified existing discoveries from the reprocessing of waste and tailings.
This includes gold from historic tailings at the Mineral Hill mine in the Central West, and tin from Ardlethan mine site in the Riverina.
The Mine Reuse Project was undertaken in collaboration between the Geological Survey of NSW with the Sustainable Minerals Institute at The University of Queensland and Geoscience Australia.
Minister for Natural Resources Courtney Houssos said, “The release of this data reinforces that NSW really is the state to be for explorers looking to find the next big critical minerals project.
“As key ingredients in our solar panels, wind turbines, EVs and batteries, critical minerals and high-tech metals are integral to our economic future.
“We know how important mining is to communities across the state.
“More exploration means more jobs and more investment in regional NSW.”
