The Mount Colin copper mine near Cloncurry looks set to move into full production in August after a six to eight-week delay caused by the destructive monsoon that hit the region early this year.

Round Oak Minerals chief executive officer Rob Cooper said first development ore was being stockpiled on the surface as contractor Barminco advanced the first levels for stoping at the underground operation. 

“Underground ore development started mid-May and we had about 6,500 tonnes of ore on the ROM pad by the end of May,” he said.

The ore will be toll treated at the Ernest Henry operation in batches of 100,000 tonnes.

Mr Cooper said ore grades were meeting expectations, at about 2.2 per cent copper.

The new copper operation is expected to employ about 70 people and have a lifespan of at least four years.

“Two thirds of the workforce are mobilised there now – we’re clearly moving into the production phase and so the remaining people will come on board over the next few months,” Mr Cooper said.

The portal for the Mount Colin project, between Mount Isa and Cloncurry, is located on an upper bench of a former open-cut mine.

The pit had been largely dewatered before the monsoon event in January/February left about 300 megalitres of water in the pit.

“The team out there have done a fantastic job of minimising the impact of that water on the mine schedule,” Mr Cooper said.

Working around the water delays caused Barminco to push the decline deeper before starting the development of the first mining panel.

 The positive side-effect of this was that they could reduce the number of mining panels (and crown pillars) from three down to two, Mr Cooper said.

“While not ideal in terms of ore production being delayed, there will be some longer term benefit to this,” he said.

Open pit mining is also underway at Round Oak’s Barbara copper-gold project, about 60km north-east of Mount Isa.

Mr Cooper said the first ore from that mine would be heading to Glencore in Mount Isa for treatment in September/October.

That project was also set back by about a month due to the rain event in February.