The Western Australia state government Friday approved the expansion of the Kalgoorlie Superpit gold mine, jointly owned by world no. 1 gold producer Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX) and Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM).

The approval will extend the mine's life by ten years, and will allow the pit to be deepened to 600 meters and establishment of additional waste dumps, the government said in a statement.

The open-pit mine, located about 550 kilometers east of Perth, produces over 600,000 troy ounces of gold annually.

-By Elisabeth Behrmann, Dow Jones Newswires;

61-2-8272-4689 elisabeth.behrmann@dowjones.com

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