Sierra Metals reported that its expansion plans are on track for the Bolivar mine in Mexico. In July 2018 the company announced the results of a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) at Bolivar to achieve a sustainable and staged increase in mine production and mill throughput from 3,000 metric tons per day (mt/d) to 3,600 mt/d in Q1-2019, and to 5,000 mt/d by mid-2020.
Completion of the expansion included the installation of a refurbished mill, an electrical substation with 1,250 KVA of capacity, a secondary crusher and a hydrocyclone cluster that allows for finer grind size optionality that is estimated to provide a 6% increase in copper recoveries from 80% to 86%. The expansion was completed with zero lost time incidents. The company used local engineering firms and local qualified contractors and technicians for the expansion project, with Sierra Metals staff conducting most of the supervision.
“We are very pleased with the progress made with our expansion plans at the Bolivar Mine,” said Igor Gonzales, president and CEO of Sierra Metals. “With the early completion of construction at the Piedras Verdes Mill, we will deliver on our goal of a 20% increase in production from 3,000 mt/d to 3,600 mt/d, in Q1-2019.”
The expansion at Bolivar represents the first of many exciting milestones for Sierra Metals in 2019, Gonzales explained. “We also remain focused on our brownfield exploration program and the importance of continuing to add to our reserves and resources,” Gonzales said.
