Glencore has today announced that the Mount Isa Mines underground copper operations (Enterprise, X41 and Black Rock) and copper concentrator will close in the second half of 2025. Seeing the end of a phenomenal era for copper for Mount Isa Mines, and a potential impact on 1,200 jobs.
Townsville Enterprise CEO, Claudia Brumme-Smith says that now is the crucial time to transition the skilled workers and the North west into the economies of the future.
“Mount Isa is a strong and resilient community and has seen closures before, but we feel for the families, businesses and communities impacted directly and through the supply chain and servicing operators that are today receiving this news,” Mrs Brumme-Smith said.
“Unfortunately, the nature of the mining industry means that an end of life is certain at some point. Mount Isa Mines has had an incredible 60-year history in copper mining, and this has undoubtedly been part of the lifeblood of the region for almost a century."
“This cyclical nature of mining is exactly why Townsville Enterprise, MITEZ, Regional Councils and State Government worked together to secure CopperString 2032. This nation building project will secure the future of the North west through affordable green power, unlocking new mining opportunities, and improving global competitiveness in refining and processing."
“Whilst we see an end of life for underground copper mining at Mount Isa Mines, we now have two years to fast track and unlock critical minerals and renewables in the region."
“There is upwards of $740bn of known and untapped critical minerals across the North west and this region is also recognised to have access to the nations best wind and solar resources."
“The priority from all levels of government and industry needs to be retaining these skilled workers in the North west and safeguarding the communities in which they live and work."
“We urge all levels of government to remove any obstacles and bureaucratic processes to fast track getting new mines off the ground now and into operation. Our message is clear – let the North west be open for business and work proactively with proponents."
“To ensure the North west remains open for business and remains globally competitive we need water security, efficient transport connections from Pit to Port and retain the highly skilled workforce in our region."
Background:
Today’s announcement is consistent with Glencore’s strategy to focus on zinc mining in the North west Region and we welcome the announcement for the continuous operation of the Townsville copper refinery and Mount Isa copper smelter to 2030.
The North west region and Townsville are intrinsically linked and therefore there is an anticipated impact on fly in – fly out industry and the supply chain that supports the current operations.
