CERRO LINDO-- FEATURE ARTICLE – JANUARY 2021

摘要

Cerro Lindo is a polymetallic mine located in Peru. It is in the top 15 largest zinc mines in the world. Cerro Lindo is encountering grade decline issues. Zinc head grades at the operation have fallen from more than 3% to below 2%. While an expansion project was completed in 2017 to help counteract the impact of the decline on output, zinc production is still forecast to fall from 170ktpa to less than 130ktpa. Cerro Lindo remains a negative cash cost producer as a result of its byproduct credits from copper, lead, gold and silver. Onsite costs are low by Peruvian standards with underground mining costs ranging from US$13–17/t of ore and processing costs ranging from US$6–8/t. The low mining costs come in spite of varying and relatively expensive mining methods (sublevel open stoping, mechanised cut-and-fill and driftand-fill) and the paste backfilling of voids. Based on current reserves, Cerro Lindo is expected to operate until 2025, however exploration is ongoing to increase Resources.