Metso will supply comminution and minerals processing equipment to Aguas Teñidas, extending the mine’s lifetime to 15 years. Creating one of the largest mining operations in Spain, Metso will supply crushing, screening, grinding and filtration equipment to the Aguas Teñidas mine, part of the Trafigura Mining Group. The delivery will be completed during the second quarter of 2014. The value of the deal, the fourth one between the two companies, was not disclosed.
The 2.2 million tons per year underground mine and concentrator produces copper, zinc and lead concentrates, also containing limited amounts of gold and silver. Trafigura plans to invest more than EUR 300 million in the asset over the next two years. As a result of this expansion, the life of the mine is expected to be extended to 15 years.
Recent exploration has discovered sufficient mineral reserves to justify the expansion. Because of this, a new treatment plant will be built over the next 24 months. The new plant can process twice the current amount of ore each year. The ore is exported from the ports of Huelva and Algeciras to northern Europe.
Metso will supply a new tertiary crushing plant system with two HP4 cone crushers, one MF 3.6 x 8.5 DD mining screen, conveyors and all ancillaries. In addition, the delivery includes two 15.5- x 27-ft 3,000 kW ball mills, 10 SMD-355 E new-generation stirred media detritors and two VPA 1530-60 filters for dewatering of the zinc and lead concentrates. For the new tertiary crushing plant system, Metso’s delivery includes basic and detailed engineering projects, the complete crushing system with erection and commissioning.
The Aguas Teñidas mine, located on the Spanish side of the 250-km long Iberian Pyrite Belt, has been an active mining district since Phoenician times, more than 2,500 years.