KAINANTU
Location
Kainantu is located 180 kilometres west of the port city of Lae in the Eastern Highlands Province.
Latitude 6°19'34.38"S Longitude: 145°49'7.63"E
Status
Operating Mine (Suspended).
Type of Mine and Waste Disposal
Underground. Thirteen months after purchase (January 2009) by Barrick the mine was closed and placed on a care-and-maintenance pending the establishing of its long-term viability. The Kainantu project is composed of three exploration licenses, a mining lease, a lease for mining purposes and two mining easements totalling 756 square kilometres located in the Eastern Highlands Province. Processing of ore had commenced by 2006. High grade ore is trucked to a processing plant on the flats of the valley floor. It had an estimated life of 10 years.
Target Minerals
Gold.
Current Production.
Not producing.
Past Production
Gold production for the calendar year 2007 was 19,308 ounces (547, 359 grams) and (25,896 grams) for the calendar year 2006.
Ownership and Finance
Kainantu operations were purchased by Barrick Gold form Highlands Pacific in December 2007 for $141.5 million including the mine and over 2,900 square kilometres of highly prospective exploration licenses.
Environmental Setting
The mine is situated on a steep ridge overlooking part of the Ramu Valley.
Environmental Impacts
There is little information about the environmental impacts of this mine. The mine was closed for a short while in 2006 due to damage by heavy rains.
Social Impacts:
In 2004 a landowner group of the mine threatened to stop the mine unless the operator honoured its commitments in an agreement with them. In December 2006 a mudslide caused by extreme rainfall at a remote exploration accommodation camp killed 10 local people.