CENTURY-- FEATURE ARTICLE – NOVEMBER 2020

摘要

New Century's 270ktpa Century tailings project is set to become the sixth largest zinc mine in 2020. Its acceleration into the top ten will however be highly contingent on the operation achieving the planned zinc recovery of more than 60% from tailings. Century commenced concentrate production form tailings in August 2018. The operation is forecast to produce on average 205ktpa of zinc in concentrate over a 6.5 year period at a cash cost of US$0.44–52/lb of payable zinc, which positions Century in the middle of AME's cost curve. However, the construction capital expenditure of US$90–100m firmly places the operation in the first quartile of the capital intensity curve. If New Century can achieve the desired recovery, AME expects the operation will process tailings until 2024 before looking to in-situ resources, including the nearby 2.7Mt Silver King, to extend the operation's life.