A 4.5 magnitude tremor will impair gold production for more than three months at Newmont Corporation’s (ASX:NEM) Cadia mine, located 28km southwest of Orange in Central West New South Wales.
Newmont does not expect earthquake-affected Cadia to return to full capacity until at least the third quarter of 2026. At least five weeks of underground rehabilitation work will be carried out that will help the mine return to 80% operating capacity. Surface stockpiles will also be processed.
The copper, zinc, lead, and silver mining company reveals the mill feed suffered a “short gap” in Q2 production after the disaster struck on 14 April 2026.
“Production at Cadia is expected to be lower due to a short gap in mill feed, with operations returning to normal levels beginning in the third quarter,” the company says in its latest quarterly results.
“All surface infrastructure was inspected immediately following the event and sustained no damage, including the tailings facilities … [and] assessment of the impact remains ongoing across the operation; however, initial findings suggest the damage is limited [to certain underground areas].”
Newmont reported neither injuries nor fatalities from the natural disaster. Safety protocols were “activated immediately” at the time of the incident.
“The safety and well-being of our workforce remain our priority… underground personnel moved to designated safe areas, and all workers safely returned to the surface over the following hours in accordance with our protocols,” the company says.
All surface infrastructure, including tailings facilities and dams, was inspected immediately after the earthquake, and no damage has been identified at this time.
Newmont Corporation is a copper, zinc, lead, and silver explorer and producer with assets mainly in Australia, Africa, Latin America, North America, Papua New Guinea, and the Caribbean.
Write to Richard Szabo at Mining.com.au
Images: Newmont Corporation
