Newmont ‘ramps down’ Yanacocha mine while Peru restricts travel

Newmont will "ramp down" mining at its Yanacocha asset in Peru after the country moved to restrict travel amid global contagion over the Covid-19 coronavirus (2019-nCoV) spread, it said.

Gold production from leeching will continue but mining ore will cease, the company said. Yanacocha produces significant amounts of copper, zinc and lead concentrates as a byproduct of gold mining.

“As the situation is dynamic and the duration of these restrictions are uncertain, we are currently unable to determine the ultimate impact on Yanacocha’s production and costs for 2020,” the company said.

The mine has reserves of 335,658 tonnes of copper as of December 31, 2019, Newmont’s annual financial report shows.

Zinc treatment charges – paid to smelters for the costs of turning concentrate to metal – have showed signs of dropping while arbitrage-related demand from China pushed spot deals below the $300-per-tonne mark.

Fastmarkets’ zinc spot concentrate TC, cif China was assessed at $280-315 per tonne on February 28, adjusted from $285-310 per tonne on January 31.

What to read next
The publication of Fastmarkets’ European aluminium billet premiums assessments for Friday February 6 was delayed because of a procedural error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.
Glencore’s share price fell sharply on Thursday February 5 after Rio Tinto confirmed it was no longer pursuing a potential merger, ending weeks of speculation about a combination that would have created one of the world’s largest mining companies.
The proposal to increase the publication frequency from monthly to weekly comes amid increased volatility of copper on the London Metal Exchange, while copper scrap discounts have been shifting on a more regular basis. This more frequent assessment will enable Fastmarkets to reflect market dynamics in a timelier manner, as well as capture more spot […]
Fastmarkets has corrected its assessments for Shanghai bonded nickel stocks on January 30.
Fastmarkets has corrected the rationale for its MB-AL-0346 Aluminium P1020A premium, in-whs dup Rotterdam, $/tonne that was published incorrectly on Thursday January 29.
Fastmarkets has corrected the rationale for its MB-AL-0299 aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, ddp Spain that was published incorrectly on Friday January 23.