Rose Dam

Rose Dam (also referenced as Rose West, Rose East, and Roe) is situated within the Broad Arrow Mineral Field, Goldfields-Esperance Region, Western Australia, approximately 50 km north of Kalgoorlie. The terrain is characterised by flat to gently undulating semi-arid scrubland underlain by Archaean greenstone sequences of the Eastern Goldfields Superterrane. Elevation is low, with lateritic duricrust and fine red silica-rich overburden dominating surface conditions — a critical abrasion and dust-suppression challenge for all mobile and fixed plant equipment.

Rose Dam North and Central are active operating pits integrated into Norton Gold Fields' Paddington Operations, with Terra Mining contracted for mining services since May 2022. The operation runs 24/7 continuous cycles, generating relentless diesel consumption across drill-and-blast, load-and-haul, and ancillary fleets. Power dependency on dedicated substation infrastructure is absolute. Prior operators include Yilgarn Mining (2005) and Carrick Gold Limited (2009 drilling campaign), confirming a multi-decade resource development history under successive ownership structures.

Ore from Rose Dam feeds the centralised Paddington processing plant, which incorporates a primary grinding circuit (SAG/ball mill configuration), gravity concentration, and carbon-in-leach (CIL) cyanidation. The flotation circuit handles sulphide-hosted gold fractions, imposing high physico-chemical reagent demands (lime, cyanide, flocculants). Key engineering supply requirements include:

• Mill liners and grinding media subject to accelerated wear from abrasive siliceous ore
• High-efficiency dust filtration systems for fine red-dirt particulate control
• Slurry pumps, cyclone clusters, and screen panels rated for continuous abrasive duty
• Substation switchgear and HV cable infrastructure for uninterrupted plant power

Norton Gold Fields, under Zijin Mining's ESG governance framework, operates Rose Dam under strict Western Australian tailings storage facility (TSF) regulations, including Tailings Storage Facility Design, Operation and Closure guidelines (DMIRS). Proactive rehabilitation commitments include progressive landform recontouring and native vegetation re-establishment. Key sustainability obligations include:

• Engineered tailings containment with ongoing geotechnical monitoring
• Water recycling circuits to minimise freshwater draw in an arid-zone context
• Dust suppression programs addressing fine particulate emissions across haul roads
• Mine closure bond lodgement per Western Australian regulatory requirements