Refined Tin Production by Peru Declined 8% in 2017

SEATTLE (ITRI.CO.UK): Refined tin production by Minsur’s Peruvian operations contracted by 8% to some 18,033 tonnes in 2017, in line with production guidance, as a result of the continuing natural decline in tin grades at the company’s San Rafael Mine.

Q4 refined tin production fell 6% year-on-year to 4,735 tonnes, reflecting a 14% reduction in mined tin output to 4,136 tonnes, primarily due to repairs on San Rafael’s optical ore sorting plant that previously provided higher grade feed to the main processing plant.

Annual mined tin production from San Rafael fell 5% to 17,791 tonnes. The volume of ore treated rose 5% year-on-year but was offset by a decline in head-grades to 1.75% Sn, reflecting the processing of low-grade ore stocks through the mine’s optical ore sorting plant. The annual cash cost of production rose 8% to US$8,827 per tonne of tin produced.

Looking to the future, an ongoing drilling campaign to replenish resources at San Rafael identified 1,539 kt of ore containing 28.1 kt of tin in 2017. Meanwhile, Capital expenditure in Peru included US$21.4 million on the B2 tailings project, which has moved into the execution phase, along with US$32.8 million on other projects at San Rafael, including construction of the B3 tailings site.

Courtesy: www. itri.co.uk