CHARLOTTE — A gold mine just south of Charlotte is ramping up hiring and investment as its parent company pushes forward with a major expansion.
OceanaGold says its Haile Gold Mine in Lancaster County will add about 200 employees by the end of the year to support development of its Palomino underground project. The company already employs roughly 850 full-time workers and about 150 contractors, with more than 400 living across the Charlotte metro area.
The hiring push comes as OceanaGold plans to invest about $240 million at Haile in 2026, with spending split between maintaining current operations and advancing growth projects. Much of that capital is tied to underground expansion, including its Palomino and Ledbetter projects, which are expected to come online over the next several years.
Company leaders say the Lancaster County mine has become central to OceanaGold’s broader strategy.
“From a growth strategy perspective, Haile really sits at the center of the overarching growth strategy for OceanaGold,” said Matt Warner, asset president for Haile.
Gold was first discovered at the Haile site in 1827, making it one of the oldest gold mines in the eastern U.S. The site had been inactive since the early 1990s, when lower gold prices and older mining methods made operations uneconomical. It remained largely dormant until Romarco Minerals acquired it in 2007 and began redevelopment efforts before being purchased by OceanaGold for $856 million.
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