Gold mine company near Charlotte to add 200 jobs as part of $240M expansion plan

Haile Gold Mine is set to add 200 jobs as part of a $240 million investment from parent company OceanaGold, a company official confirmed to the Herald.

That growth continues a trend at the Lancaster County site, where company officials told the Herald last summer they intended to hire up to 60 workers by the end of last year. Haile employs about 850 full-time and 150 contract workers now.

The mine is about 90 minutes south of Charlotte.

The 200 jobs would be spread across a range of professions. The gold mine employs people from advanced engineers to heavy equipment operators.

OceanaGold is a global gold and copper producer with sites in the U.S., New Zealand and the Philippines. It’s based in Canada. Nearly half of the gold extracted by the company comes from the Haile site in rural Lancaster County.

A University of South Carolina study last year determined the nearly 200-year-old Kershaw mine has an annual economic impact of $717.5 million on the state. By 2037 the total impact since mining began there should reach $9.3 billion, according to the study.

The new investment and hiring at Haile are part of a long-term plan to transition between underground and open pit mining.

There are three main mines on the site now, named after the ores found there. The $240 million would be split between maintaining operations and expansion.

Last month, the New York Stock Exchange listed OceanaGold. The company will release its first quarter earnings report on May 6.