Glencore closes zinc mine after deposit dries up

Glencore has shut down its zinc mine in Queensland Australia after available resources at the site were depleted.

The Mount Isa Mines Black Star open-cut operation in northwest Queensland had been moved to care and maintenance after mining out the existing reserve.

The mine began production in 2004 with an initial expectation of an eight year life.

It delivered 13 years of successful production in the end, producing approximately 40m tonnes of ore, 1.75m tonnes of contained zinc metal and nearly 1m tonnes of contained lead metal.

Chief operating officer Greg Ashe said: “The Black Star workforce overcame a number of unique geotechnical and mining challenges presented by an old expansive network of abandoned underground workings. The team adopted an innovative approach to void analysis, which enabled the safe and sustainable recovery of a valuable mineral resource that would otherwise have been inaccessible.”

The share price rose 0.55% to 245.90p at 0923 BST.