Nexa Resources said Oct. 13 that it has received the operating licence for its Aripuanã polymetallic project in Mato Grosso, Brazil.
The project, which will be the company’s sixth underground mine, was given its license from the Environmental Secretariat of the state of Mato Grosso (SEMA) on Oct. 7.
Aripuanã’s resource includes zinc, lead and copper. The site will also include a concentrate processing facility.
Mechanical completion is expected before the end of the year. The company is targeting commercial production in 2022.
Nexa, known primarily for its status as a zinc producer, currently owns and operates five other long-life underground mines – three in the Central Andes of Peru and two in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It also operates three smelters, two in Brazil and one in Peru; Cajamarquilla in Peru is the largest smelter in the Americas.
According to Wood Mackenzie, the producer was a top-five metallic zinc producer worldwide last year.
Source: Nexa Resources