Antamina copper-zinc mine to boost output by 10 percent

The Antamina copper-zinc mine plans to start-up a new pebble crusher in February 2008 that will increase annual production by about 10 percent, president and chief executive Ian Kilgour told MB.

The $39 million pebble crusher at the mine in Peru`s central Ancash deparment will reach full production capacity in April 2008. "The project is on track and we will be commissioning it in January," he said.

Antamina is forecast this year to produce 1.2 million tonnes of copper, 600,000 tonnes of zinc, 12,000 tonnes of molybdenum and up to 5,000 tonnes of bismuth, all in concentrates, Kilgour said.

Antamina is mining a zinc-rich area of the deposit that will maintain current prodution levels through the next five years before declining.

The company is engaged in an extensive $36 million exploration programme within its open pit mine to identify more resources in the deposit, which is open at depth.

"We are doing 200,000 metres of drilling, some 10,000 metres a month," he said.

Publication: Metal Bulletin
Provider: Metal Bulletin com
Date: August 1, 2007