Tennant Mining Invests $98 Million in Gold Processing Plant at Nobles Nob Project
Tennant Mining is set to invest $98 million in developing a gold processing plant at its Nobles Nob project, located 14km east of Tennant Creek. This new facility aims to service not only Nobles Nob but also other abandoned mines in the Barkly region, with commissioning expected in the second half of next year.
The Perth-based prospector hopes to revive mining in Tennant Creek, a town historically known for its productive gold and copper mines, which saw large-scale mining end with the closure of the Giants mine in 2004.
Michael Tennant, Tennant Mining’s NT manager and former chief executive of the Department of Trade, Business and Innovation (now DITT), highlighted that beyond gold, the company's growth plans include copper and critical minerals. Tennant Mining owns the Nobles Nob, Warrego, and Juno mines and has partnered with explorer Emmerson, gaining access to up to 80% of the Barkly’s mine assets.
If the gold salvage operation proves successful, Tennant Mining plans to add a polymetallic flotation circuit to the Nobles Nob processing plant, enabling the extraction of copper and other critical minerals. Supported by a 2022 Resourcing the Territory grant for critical minerals analysis, the company is exploring the potential of identified critical minerals in the Barkly, such as cobalt and bismuth.
“We’re gold first, copper second, and our growth plan includes adding a poly-metallic flotation circuit to the plant that will enable us to process copper and critical minerals,” Tennant said. He added that the flotation circuit would allow the extraction of all valued metals and minerals, potentially extending the project's life from 15 years to 30 years or more.
Tennant Mining's approach differs from past efforts to restart large-scale mining in the area by consolidating resources. The company uses a hub-and-spoke model with a central processing facility, securing direct acquisitions and joint ventures with Emmerson to achieve scale, breadth, and depth across the field.
“We are not one mine with one plant; we’re a central plant with more than 10 project areas, each with between one to four mines,” Tennant said. “We’re doing further exploration to expand that out, giving us the breadth, depth, and scale needed to get into production.”
