OceanaGold Corp. reported no injuries at its Didipio operation in the Philippines following Super Typhoon Mangkhut or at the Haile operation in South Carolina, USA, following Tropical Storm Florence. The company also said it did not expect any impacts to production at either operation.
“The safety and well-being of our employees is paramount and I’m very happy to announce that following major storms in the Philippines and in the Carolinas no injuries were reported,” President and CEO Mick Wilkes said. “The company uses stringent processes and operational readiness practices ahead of potential severe weather events to ensure workers are safe, the site is secure and our robust environmental safety controls are in place.”
He went on to say, “Our valued workforce at both the Didipio and Haile operations were well-prepared and equipped to deal with a worst-case scenario weather event and both operations are designed to withstand hurricanes, tornados or other severe weather.
In the Philippines, the Didipio operation reported no injuries or environmental impacts associated with Super Typhoon Mangkhut, a category five storm that impacted northern Philippines. At Didipio, the center of the storm traveled north of the operation, however, the site received a moderate amount of rainfall. As Didipio is designed for and accustomed to significant rainfall and strong wind events, particularly during the typhoon season, the site was well prepared in advance of the storm. Following a brief stoppage of operational activities, the Didipio operation was safely restarted.
The company dispatched a Typhoon Response Team to assist local and regional government authorities in their recovery efforts within the Cagayan Valley to the north of the operation.
In the United States, the Haile operation reported no injuries or environmental impacts associated with Tropical Storm Florence, which significantly impacted coastal areas in North and South Carolina. The center of the slow-moving storm traveled south of Columbia, South Carolina (Haile located 60 miles north of Columbia). The Haile operation was well prepared for a worst-case scenario storm event and was temporarily suspended on Friday, September 14 ahead of the weather and for the safety of the workforce who commute to and from site. The process plant was safely and successfully restarted on Sunday, September 16 while mining resumed on Monday, September 17.
OceanaGold is a midtier, high-margin, multinational gold producer with assets including the Didipio gold-copper mine, Waihi gold mine, the largest gold mine in the country at the Macraes Goldfield, Haile gold mine. The company expects to produce 500,000 ounces (oz) to 540,000 oz of gold and 15,000 metric tons (mt) to 16,000 mt of copper.
