Emmerson’s joint venture (JV) partner Tennant Consolidated Mining Group (Tennant Mining) has started construction on its Nobles carbon-in-leach (CIL) gold processing facility in Northern Territory, Australia.
The plant is being relocated from Cloncurry in Queensland to the Nobles project area, situated 14km south-east of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory.
During the construction phase, this project is expected to create approximately 80 jobs, and more than 160 positions are set to be created once operational activities intensify.
The company aims to complete the construction and commissioning of the facility by Q2 of calendar year 2025, with commercial production expected to commence in Q3 of the same year.
Initially, Tennant Mining will concentrate on processing existing stockpiles and tailings at the Nobles open-pit mining complex.
Subsequent phases will involve the development of other open cut and underground mines within the Tennant Creek Mineral Field, including Tennant Mining’s Juno, Rising Sun, Weabers Find and Warrego project areas.
These also include the areas under the Emmerson-Tennant Mining JV, including the Black Snake, Chariot, Eldorado, Golden Forty, Marathon-Troy, Mauretania and White Devil deposits, along with discoveries from ongoing JV exploration activities.
Emmerson will also secure a 6% gross production royalty on any gold produced from the JV tenements.
Emmerson and Tennant Mining have previously established two earn-in exploration JVs covering the Northern and Southern project areas and have collaborated on selected projects within the overall project area through two small mine joint ventures (SMJVs).
The SMJVs, which are entirely controlled, funded, managed and operated by Tennant Mining, allow Emmerson to be free-carried for all development, mining and production costs in exchange for a 6% production royalty.
In addition to the royalties from gold production, Emmerson will receive a 2% gross production royalty on all other metals produced from the development of mines on the SMJV deposits by Tennant Mining.
Emmerson chairman Andrew Mcllwain said: “Emmerson is pleased to announce that its joint venture partner, Tennant Mining, has commenced construction of the Nobles CIL gold processing facility. To have progressed through the study, development and financing phases and now into construction in under four years is a credit to the Tennant Mining team.
“Tennant Mining’s central processing facility is the long-awaited key to unlocking the development of resources and restarting larger-scale mining production across the high-grade Tennant Creek Mineral Field.
“As always envisaged, the future restart of gold production from Emmerson’s assets provides a low-risk return for Emmerson’s shareholders through the 6% gross production royalty payable on gold produced.”
