Peru based tin miner Minsur has announced a 33% reduction in tin production capacity from its Pitinga tin mine in Brazil for nine to twelve months as it carries out emergency repairs.
The company was forced to halt production in August following discovery of water leaks at the hydroelectric plant which powers the mine. Production was resumed shortly after at a reduced rate as power generation at the plant continued at half capacity. This recent statement was released following consideration of production scenarios for repair work.
ITRI View: Prior to the discovery of issues at the plant, Minsur had targeted a 20 – 30% increase in tin production from Pitinga and was on track to meet this goal in the first half of 2015, where the mine produced 3,256 tonnes of tin, up 25% on the same period of the 2014. The work may also result in delays to Minsur’s “Pitinga Max” development plan that could result in a doubling of production from the mine over the next 4-5 years.
