This week, the Mexican government designated mining as an essential activity, which will allow mines to begin operations on May 18. Several companies have announced plans to restart operations. Some mines were placed on care and maintenance in early April to comply with the government-mandated shutdown.
Newmont said it expects to begin safely ramping up operations at Peñasquito. The company will continue to use protective measures for workers and neighboring communities, including screening, physical distancing, deep cleaning and avoiding exposure for at-risk individuals. The startup of Peñasquito is expected to take roughly two weeks to reach stable production levels.
Coeur Mining has taken steps to restart active mining, processing and exploration activities at its Palmarejo gold-silver complex in the state of Chihuahua.
Alamos Gold expects to begin ramping up full operations at its Mulatos mine on May 18. Given the significant number of contained ounces stacked on the leach pad during the first quarter of 2020, Mulatos has continued to recover gold in April and May. Mining and stacking activities are expected to ramp up to normal levels in June.
Capstone Mining said it has safely started ramping up operational activities at its Cozamin mine in Zacatecas. Cozamin’s underground expansion remains on track for completion by the end of 2020 and is expected to increase production to a new annual run rate of approximately 50 million to 55 million lb of copper and 1.5 million ounces of silver in 2021.
