Location Tanami Desert Country Australia Financial year 2009-10 Company Tanami Gold | State Western Australia Production 47,960 Website Tanami Gold website Opened 2006 | |
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The Coyote Gold Mine is a gold mine located in the remote Tanami Desert of Australia. The mine has leases both in the Central Desert Region of the Northern Territory and the Kimberley Region of Western Australia, but current mining is only carried out in Western Australia, 10 km west of the border.
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It is located on the land of the Tjurabalan people, the traditional owners of the area. Tanami and the Tjurabalan people signed a native title agreement in 2005 in order to have a mining lease granted. This also included a commitment to employ a number of Tjurabalan people.
History
Serious exploration for resources, especially gold, was carried out in the region from early 2000 by a number of companies, specifically AngloGold, Newmont, Tanami Gold and Otter Gold Mines Limited. Some of the area of the Coyote mine was part of an exploration lease owned by AngloGold.
Tanami Gold acquired the tenement in November 2003 from AngloGold for A$14 million in cash and shares. AngloGold, in turn, had acquired it when it took over Acacia Resources in January 2000.
The mine was opened on 24 May 2006 by the then Governor-General of Australia, Michael Jeffery, after a 12-year planning phase. It initially had a production target of 60,000 ounces per year.
In October 2006, Tanami had to temporarily suspend mining to cut costs as its treatment facility experienced difficulties in the commissioning. In late 2006, Tanami was in talks with Monarch Gold Mining in regards to a merger, but talks were later called off amid concerns that the treatment plant at Coyote would need further investment.
In January 2007, the Coyote Pit 2 was flooded in a major rain event. Mining was resumed in Pit 1 in April 2007.
With the financial crisis in 2008, Tanami had to borrow $7.7 million to continue its mining operation at Coyote.
In 2008-09, ore was mined in the Coyote Open Pit 1 and 2 as well as the Gonzales lode underground operation. Once the Coyote pit will be exhausted, which is scheduled for September 2009, two other open pits will be mined, the Kookaburra and Sandpiper pits.
On 23 April 2013, The West Australian reported the Coyote project was one of the State's highest-cost producers, pouring gold at basic costs of $1220/oz. The mine went into care and maintenance shortly after that retrenching 150 employees.
Production
Production of the mine: