Vertex Minerals Limited has transitioned the Reward Gold Mine in New South Wales from restricted 9-hour daily operating windows to continuous 24-hour underground mining and blasting.

The development follows approval granted by Bathurst Regional Council on August 20, 2026, which overturned an earlier deferral of the company's development consent modification application in July 2026. Full implementation of the round-the-clock schedule is now pending an Environmental Protection License variation, which is expected to take two to four weeks.

The newly permitted operating regime expands available working hours from 9 hours per day to 22 hours per day by removing fixed firing windows that previously constrained the mining cycle. Blasting is now permitted at any time within established vibration limits, allowing ventilation clearance and re-entry to be scheduled across shift changes rather than consuming core working hours.

The operational change allows Vertex Minerals to better utilise its existing underground mining fleet without requiring additional equipment acquisition to support the ramp-up toward commercial production. Spreading fixed infrastructure costs across a larger tonnage is expected to reduce unit operating costs.

The Reward Gold Mine entered a 14-month commissioning phase in September 2025 under the Pre-Feasibility Study, with the company aiming to commission the mine during the September 2026 quarter.

Recent operational adjustments are designed to complement the extended operating hours. Modified rail sets have been fitted to both existing jumbo drills to enable smaller drive dimensions, targeting a dilution reduction of more than 20% for equivalent cut lengths. Additionally, construction of a Resemin Muki long hole production drill rig is confirmed for mid-September 2026 prior to shipping to Australia to support narrow-vein stoping operations.

During July 2026, the operation achieved 37 metres of advanced development alongside 20 metres of rehabilitation while both jumbo drills were temporarily offline for rail fitting. Gold sales for July reached 59 ounces, with another 32 ounces held on hand and available for sale. Trial long-hole open stoping commenced at Decline 3 at the end of July 2026, with ore processing underway through the site's Gekko gravity plant.

Read the full announcement: Ore Production Update - 24hrs 7days Underground Operations