As conditions under Tropical Cyclone Megan ease in northern Australia, South32 has begun to assess the damage to its GEMCO manganese operations.
The company announced on Monday operations had been temporarily suspended at the site, confirming today the mine will remain shuttered until further notice.
“The safety of our people and the community on Groote Eylandt remains our highest priority,” the company said in a statement.
“Importantly, our workforce is safe and there have been no recordable injuries to personnel at the operations.”
South32 said initial assessments identified flooding in the mining pits, as well as significant damage to a critical haul road bridge that connects the northern pits of the Western Leases mining area and the processing plant. Wharf and port infrastructure has also incurred significant structural damage.
The major miner will continue to assess the extent of the damage. This will inform recovery plans, with the aim of returning to safe operations as soon possible. Alternative shipping arrangements are also being evaluated.
While work is underway, South32 said it will withdraw its manganese guidance and will aim to provide a further update in its March quarterly report.
Close to export markets in Asia, GEMCO’s open-cut, strip-mining operation is one of the largest manganese ore producers in the world.
In the 2022–23 financial year, GEMCO produced 5.9 million tonnes of the commodity worth $1.53 billion.
South32 owns 60 per cent of GEMCO, with the remaining 40 per cent held by Anglo American.
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