Bolivian state tin miner Empresa Minera Huanuni (EMH) will invest US$2 million to build a tailings dam in Oruro department’s Poopó, an official from the mining and metallurgy ministry (MMM) told BNamericas.
"The company in charge of the project has eight months to complete it, and the dam will have a storage capacity of 5Mt within five years," the official said without mentioning the name of the company that was awarded the contract. With the project the company hopes to mitigate the environmental impact of its tin mining activities in the zone, the official added.
Until now waste from the concentrator at the operation has been discharged straight into a local river, from which members of the local community scavenge tin not recovered at the mill. EMH plans to expand production at the mine substantially over the next few years. Production of tin-in-concentrate in January-September this year rose by 12% year-on-year to 6,408 tonnes.
