Colombian President Ivan Duque addresses the crowd during the grand opening ceremony for the Buriticá mine.
On October 23, the construction of the Buriticá gold mine in Colombia was completed and the mine was put into production. The mine is expected to produce more than 316,800 oz gold after the completion of the technical transformation next year, which owner Zijing Mining said will become a new important growth driver for the gold production of the company.
Zijing Mining purchased the high-grade large-scale gold mine in March from Continental Gold. Total construction investment was $610 million. The project has created more than 2,300 jobs, with the potential to grow to 3,700, according to the company.
Currently, the cumulative annual output of the project is about 1.1 million metric tons of ore. It is expected to produce 76,700 oz of gold this year and 183,000 oz of silver.
Colombian President Ivan Duque attended the commencement ceremony, as well as the minister of Mine and Energy, minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, governor of Antioquia Department, mayor of Buriticá and Zijing Mining Vice President Shen Shaoyang.
President Duque said the Buriticá gold mine was the most important project in the history of Colombian gold mining investment. It will contribute to Colombia’s environmental protection and economic development, he added. It will help local communities to restart the economy and restore people’s livelihood in the post-epidemic era.
This year is the 40th anniversary of Colombia and China establishing diplomatic relations. The commissioning of the Buriticá gold mine marks a new journey for Colombia-China investment cooperation, Duque said.
Zijing Mining Chairman Chen Jinghe said the company’s investment in Colombia is a strategic decision. “While achieving the project’s full production capacity as soon as possible, it will also increase the investment in local geological exploration and provide sufficient resource guarantee for new project expansion,” he added.
The company also plans to look for other development opportunities in the area.
The archbishop of Buriticá held a blessing ceremony on at the mine. More than 50 people, including project employees, collaborators, and community leaders witnessed the ceremony.
