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Mining

  • Pirquitas 43-101 Report


    (Espanol)

  • Project Animation


    (15MB Quicktime)

    (3MB Windows Media)

  • Pirquitas Process Facility Animation


    (13MB Windows Media)

The mine will be developed and operated as a conventional open pit (surface) mine and will utilize 100 tonne trucks and 12 m3 (16yd3) loaders. The ore will be trucked seven kilometers (4.3 miles) to the processing plant. At the processing plant the ore will be crushed and treated in a conventional mineral flotation plant. The plant will produce three salable products: silver concentrate, tin concentrate, and zinc concentrate. The concentrates will be shipped to various smelters around the world. The potential production and sale of indium as well as gallium may provide an opportunity for enhanced project economics. In addition to the processing plant, a mine equipment repair shop, warehouse, laboratory, and power plant are being constructed. The power plant will be fueled by natural gas supplied by a 37 kilometer-long (23 mile) natural gas pipeline which is being installed from the mine to an existing Trans-Andean, Argentina/Chile pipeline. At full production, the mine will operate continuously throughout the year and employ approximately 400 people. There is currently housing for 450 workers on site, which will be expanded to accommodate 650. Many employees will commute from local communities while others will be boarded on site. In conjunction with the provincial government and equipment vendors, a training program has been developed to assure that the members of the local communities possess the required skills to assure a successful mining operation.