Plans to expand production at Bolivia’s state-owned Huanuni tin mine and Vinto smelter are being further delayed, according to unconfirmed reports reaching ITRI.
In tin the centre-piece of the government’s medium-term plans is the construction of a new 3,000 tpd ore processing plant at the Huanuni mine, which should allow an increase in production of tin-in-concentrates from 9,683 tonnes officially reported in 2011 to 13,000 – 14,000 tpy. The US$50 million contact to build the new plant was awarded to the Chinese joint-venture company Vicstar Union Engineering last July, with some initial ground-breaking work carried out in October. However we understand that problems including shortages of senior qualified staff may result in a one year delay in the start of mill construction.
As a result of this delay it is likely that commissioning of a new Ausmelt furnace at the Vinto smelter, originally due to have been completed last month, will now be pushed back to the end of 2013. Vinto produced 10.960 tonnes of refined tin last year and is targeted to produce 11,300 tonnes in 2013. However it will require a much increased supply of concentrates from Huanuni before it can come close to reaching its planned new theoretical capacity of some 18,000 tpy of refined metal.
