Up to 2500 jobs will be created at five new mines in the Central West, the NSW Minerals Council has claimed.
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The new mines, two are within 60 kilometres of Orange, would involve about $3.6 billion in capital investment with the potential for $417 million in royalties for regional development.
Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said the McPhillamys Gold Project near Blayney would create 500 jobs and the Kempfield Silver Mine near Trunkey Creek 240 jobs.
The number of proposed metals projects has almost doubled.
- Stephen Galilee, CEO NSW Minerals Council
He said the Zirconia Project, at Toongi 25 kilometres south of Dubbo, would create about 1300 jobs, the CleanTeq Sunrise mine at Fifield near Trundle would create 1770 and the Cowal Gold Operations mine at Lake Cowal, south of Forbes, would create 160 jobs.
The growth would come on top of the existing Cadia mine project which is undergoing an expansion creating up to 1300 jobs.
Mr Gallilee said all five were part of 32 in NSW awaiting planning approval.
"These projects have the potential to deliver almost $13 billion in investment and over 15,500 jobs for NSW to help support and rebuild the economy and boost regional development across the state," he said. Mr Gallilee said 21 of them were coal projects and 11 were metals projects.
"While the number of coal projects has risen slightly [since last year], the number of proposed metals projects has almost doubled from six to 11, representing over 30 percent of all major mining projects proposed in NSW, up from 20 percent 18 months ago," he said.
"This is an opportunity to further build and diversify the NSW mining sector and represents a strong industry response to the release of the NSW Government's Minerals Strategy in early 2019."