Final Vinto Ausmelt contract signed

Aug 26, 2008

Ausmelt Ltd has signed the third and final contract, licensing its Ausmelt technology to Empresa Metalurgica Vinto, under a A$4.3 million deal for a new tin smelter at Oruro in Bolivia. The contract covers the supply of equipment and site services. In a statement to...

Timah sees falling production, reduced spot sales

Aug 21, 2008

Indonesia’s PT Timah may not be able to produce 50,000 tonnes of tin this year as dry weather hampers operations, its president said on Thursday. The company reported record levels of tin-in-concentrate and refined tin of over 58,000 tonnes in 2007. “We...

Yunnan Tin production losses

Aug 21, 2008

Yunnan Tin, China’s main tin producer, will lose about 3,000 tonnes production in total in July-August due to a scheduled maintenance shutdown of its main Gejiu smelter, Reuters reported. Separately, its joint venture company, Singapore Tin Industries Pte Ltd,...

Indonesia to cap supply

Aug 21, 2008

Top Indonesian tin officials in both the federal and Bangka-Belitung provincial governments have described plans to limit tin supply in interviews with Bloomberg News. The federal government plans to cap production of five minerals including tin to extend mine life...

Huanuni strike over

Aug 15, 2008

The two week strike at the state-owned Huanuni mine in Bolivia ended on Thursday. Last week two Huanuni miners were killed when police broke up a roadblock supporting the action. “This morning we had a meeting … and workers decided to start again on...

Olympics cut China’s metals production

Aug 14, 2008

China’s production of all LME metals fell year-on-year in July, reports Bloomberg, reflecting low seasonal demand and power restrictions. Year on year declines ranged from 0.3% for copper to 34% for tin. Some Chinese aluminum, lead and zinc producers agreed in...