The Kanmantoo mine is a

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

mine in the Australian state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

located near the town of Kanmantoo about southeast of the state capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

History

Copper was first discovered and mined in the 1840s. The town was established to house workers at the mine, which at that time was an underground mine. The original mine was active from 1846 to 1874. A new open-cut mine operated from 1970 to 1976. The current mine operators acquired the mining and exploration leases in stages over 2003-2008, and started mining operations from 2011. Processing at the mine site produces concentrates which are transported by road to Port Adelaide via the

South Eastern Freeway South Eastern Freeway is a freeway in South Australia (SA). It is a part of the National Highway network linking the state capital cities of Adelaide, SA, and Melbourne, Victoria, and signed as National Highway M1. It carries traffic over t ...

Geology

The mineral deposits are in Cambrian Kanmantoo group rocks.

Pumped hydroelectric energy storage

In April 2019, owners of the mine Hillgrove Resources announced that it had sold rights to build, own and operate a pumped hydroelectric energy storage facility in the open pit. The buyer was AGL Energy. If all the relevant government approvals were received, it was expected that the system could have been operational in 2024. The project was dropped by mutual agreement early in 2020.

References

{{reflist Adelaide Hills Copper mines in South Australia