Glencore recently held a community information session on the future of its Mount Isa Mines mining complex in Queensland with the pending closure of its underground copper operations at the site.
“I want to make clear that Glencore is not going anywhere. Mount Isa Mines is an important asset for Glencore globally and we’re continuing to invest in these operations,” said Chief Operating Officer for Glencore’s Australian Zinc and Copper Assets, Sam Strohmayr.
The closure of the Mount Isa Copper Operations is expected to be completed in July. Since October 2023, Glencore has worked extensively on a workforce strategy to support its people and minimise impacts from the closure.
“It was originally estimated around 1,200 roles would be impacted by the closure. Through the work undertaken we now expect this to be about 500 people and we’re actively working to redeploy as many people as possible over the coming months. Redundancies remain the last resort,” Strohmayr said.
The miner is also progressing a pre-feasibility study into the Black Star open-cut project, which has the possibility of providing work for 300-400 people over a 10-to 20-year mine life from late 2027 or 2028. The large-scale operation would supply zinc, lead and copper ores to Mount Isa’s processing facilities.
Source: Glencore