Critical minerals Federation mine to open in NSW

Aurelia Metals’ (ASX: AMI) Federation critical minerals and high-tech metals mine is opening in NSW, after receiving development consent in 2023 for operations until 2036.

The mine will be located near the historical mining town of Cobar, NSW, and will support more than 140 skilled jobs while providing a $143m investment boost to the region.

Production for the mine is estimated at 600,000tpa of high-grade zinc, gold, copper and lead.

The mine is projected to produce 4.0mt of ore containing approximately 328,000t of zinc, 192,000t of lead, 12,000t of copper, 116,000oz of gold and 772,000oz of silver.

NSW Natural Resources Minister Courtney Houssos says the opening of the Federation mine highlights the State Government’s commitment to critical minerals and the valuable jobs the mining industry supports.

“Mining has a long and proud history in NSW and opening the Federation mine today shows it also has a bright future,” she said.

“The critical minerals and high-tech metals from mines across NSW will help build the products for a clean energy future.

“With deposits of 21 of the 31 nationally identified critical and strategic minerals, NSW is well placed to be a global leader.

“The Federation mine will bring immediate employment and investment benefits to Cobar, but it will also support more jobs and investment through supply chains and towns right across the Far West.

“Congratulations to the investors, management and workforce of Aurelia Metals’ Federation mine as well as the Far Western NSW community.

“The [State] Government is committed to attracting more investment across the state to unlock the value of NSW’s critical mineral assets.”

Aurelia Metals chief executive Bryan Quinn says it is remarkable to be opening a brand new mine only discovered in 2019.

“The short turnaround is testament to the excellent collaboration of NSW government agencies, the Aurelia team and strong support from the community,” he said.

“It puts in place a strong foundation for the future success of the Federation Mine and high-quality jobs and opportunities in the region.

“Federation is one of the highest-grade base metals development projects in Australia and is a key building block to unlock Aurelia’s growth potential in the Cobar Basin.

“Cash flow generated from Federation will help to advance Aurelia’s next organic growth project, which is the Great Cobar deposit.”

Federation will be the newest operating mine in the Cobar region, joining the CSA copper and silver mine; the Peak copper, gold, zinc and lead mine and Tritton copper mine also in production.