Silver Stocks in New South Wales

New South Wales' strong silver-mining history

While BHP no longer has silver operations in New South Wales today, the legacy of silver continues in the state.

Australia has a reputation for being a desirable mining jurisdiction, but as an investment prospect, New South Wales is one of the country's less attractive areas, ranking fifth out of seven among its states and territories.

Despite this, New South Wales is a safe bet, scoring 89 percent in the confidence sector according to the Fraser Institute’s most recent survey of mining companies. The high confidence score suggests that the district has a good reputation for fulfilling regulations and obtaining the necessary permits for mining and exploration.

Currently, there are at least five companies mining silver in the state, according to government data — though many of them are private. Publicly traded entities are accessible through the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

Overall, Australia is ranked among the top global producers of silver, sitting in fifth place alongside Poland and Russia in 2021. While it was slightly less than the 1,340 tonnes in 2020, the country produced 1,300 tonnes of silver in 2021.

It’s worth noting that Australia once mined a lot more of this precious metal. Historical US Geological Survey reports showed that the country enjoyed a spike in silver mining around the turn of the millennium when annual production hovered around 2,000 tonnes per year. Since then, it has slowly declined to where it sits now.

For its part, New South Wales produced around 110 tonnes of silver in 2021. All of the mines in the region are located in the central part of the state and silver is mined as a byproduct at each operational mine.

ASX-listed silver stocks in New South Wales

As mentioned, quite a few of the companies mining silver in New South Wales are private, while others are public, but not listed on the ASX. Examples include China Molybdenum (OTC Pink:CMCLF,HKEX:3993) and Nonfemet.

Of course, the state’s publicly listed entities are keeping busy too. Read on for a look at some of the ASX-listed operators focused on silver in New South Wales. If you're interested in jumping into the market, the Investing News Network has plenty of online resources on investing on the Australian Stock Exchange — here's a little starter for your journey.

For those interested in learning more about silver stocks, the Investing News Network has curated a list of the best ASX-listed silver stocks New South Wales has to offer by market cap. Data from this market cap stocks list was collected using TradingView’s stock screener and values were correct as of October 28, 2022. All listed stocks had market caps over AU$230 million at the time.

1. Newcrest Mining (ASX:NCM)

Market cap: AU$15.98 billion; current share price: AU$17.81

Newcrest Mining (ASX:NCM) is an Australia-based company with headquarters in Melbourne. Silver is produced as a by-product by this top mining company, as Newcrest Mining's Cadia operation is primarily focused on copper and gold.

Even so, a June 2022 Resources and Reserves report found 1.39 grams per tonne of silver in the Cadia province for a total of 57,500,000 ounces of the white metal in that region (these values indicate both the Cadia Underground and Ridegway mines).

2. Aeris Resources (ASX:AIS)

Market cap: AU$276.38 million; current share price: AU$0.39

Another company that has its focus mainly on copper and gold, Aeris Resources is the owner and operator of the Tritton copper operation. Silver is not one of the company’s main assets, especially in NSW, but Aeris has been hitting some silver mineralization in exploration works at Tritton. A 2021 resource estimate at Tritton pegged total silver resources at 800,000 ounces.

3. Silver Mines (ASX:SVL)

Market cap: AU$245.45 million; current share price: AU$0.18

Silver Mines (ASX:SVL) is the owner of the Bowdens and Barabolar silver projects in central New South Wales. The company describes its Bowdens project as one of Australia's largest undeveloped silver resources. A feasibility study in 2018 showed a 16 year mine life with a reserve of 29.9 million tonnes at 69 grams per tonne.

The company’s Barabolar project is located only 10 kilometres away from Bowdens. Rock chip samples from the project have shown 252 grams per tonne of silver. This summer, the Silver Mines announced that Barabolar resumed drilling and is officially the first modern exploration in that area in over 30 years.