Australian miner Venture Minerals plans to start tin production from its Mount Lindsay project in Tasmania in 2013, in time to capture strong global demand for the metal, Managing Director Hamish Halliday told Reuters. Halliday said his company was in preliminary talks with Chinese smelters that could lead to supply offtake agreements prior to the mine’s development and help defray up to $160 million in construction costs.
The mine has an expected life of eight years and will produce 2,500 tonnes to tin per year “Between now and the end of the year, we’ll see some pretty big steps forward on the offtake side,” he said. Further supporting development of the mine is an abundance of tungsten – along with iron ore and copper – that would be produced as by-product to tin.
Results of a pre-feasibility study on the project were announced in March, when the company also said it has engaged Penfold Limited, a major player in the Chinese tin concentrates market, to assist in product marketing and sales.
