DEVELOP, formerly Venturex Resources, has implemented what it says is another key plank of its growth strategy by establishing the company’s Underground Services division.
DEVELOP Underground Services will specialise in providing a range of underground mining services to cater to both DEVELOP’S own requirements at the Sulphur Springs copper-zinc-silver project in Western Australia and to service other Australian projects on a contractual basis.
In line with its strategy of also providing services on a contractual basis, DEVELOP has been invited to tender for the mining contract at Bellevue Gold’s Bellevue project in Western Australia.
Bellevue Gold’s stated commitments on environmental, social and governance initiatives, which includes a plan to become Australia’s “greenest gold miner”, and its project’s credentials, makes this tender a great opportunity aligned to DEVELOP’s own core beliefs, DEVELOP said.
DEVELOP Managing Director, Bill Beament, said DEVELOP Underground Services would enable the company to leverage the extensive underground mining skills and experience of its world-class underground DNA.
“We have quickly built an exceptional team, many of whom have worked together at some of the most successful and productive mines and companies across Australia,” Beament said.
“We are delighted to be given the opportunity to tender for the mining contract at Bellevue, which is clearly on the path to joining this list of world-class Western Australia projects. With a resource grade of 6 g/t and forecast production of 200,000 oz a year (years 1-5) at an all-in sustaining cost of just A$922/oz ($692/oz), Bellevue is about to join an exclusive global club of gold miners.”
He added: “There are only seven other mines in tier-one locations that can boast these metrics.”
Beament said Bellevue’s recently-released Stage Two Feasibility Study was testimony to the remarkable achievements of the Bellevue team.
This study outlined a 1 Mt/y asset with forecasted greenhouse gas intensity of 0.202 t CO2e/oz, with planned integration of renewable energy.
The DEVELOP Underground Services team and former Northern Star Resources head, Beament, will be helped in its pursuit of this contract by the additions of Paul Nilsson and Aaron Armstrong.
Nilsson, an alumni of Northern Star Resources and Barminco, has become Manager Mining Underground, while Aaron Armstrong, another ex-Northern Star Resources employee, has become Maintenance Manager Underground.