El Salvador president proposes bill to overturn metals mining ban
In 2017, El Salvador became the first country in the world to ban forms of metals mining.
Minera Alamos (TSXV: MAI) has started mining at its 100%-owned Santana gold project in Sonora, Mexico. Construction is complete and stacking can begin on the lined leach pad. Leaching is to begin around the end of June.
The company is now focused on optimization of key parameters for full scale operations. Blast designs for optimal fragmentation, stacking plans for the leach pad, reagent preparation, and open pit haulage improvements are underway.
Alamos said initial blasting at the Nicho Norte pit have resulted in high levels of fragmentation, allowing most of the mined material to bypass additional crushing. That step remains preferable for higher grade material and will be handled by the mining contractor using portable equipment.
The company said it plans to update the Santana resource estimate shortly.
(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)
