JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Vancouver-based miner Nevsun Resources has successfully restarted the processing plant at its Bisha mine, in Eritrea, following repairs to the ball mill and the tailings thickener during a two-week shutdown.
The processing plant had been offline since March 13, when a mechanical issue with the ball mill gearbox was discovered during routine maintenance.
During the temporary shutdown, the mine also took the opportunity, through its third-party thermal energy provider Aggreko, to accelerate the upgrade of another ten of its 27 diesel generators with more efficient units.
Nevsun said in a statement on Monday that the shutdown also enabled it to focus on waste mining and allowed it to accelerate other preventive maintenance scheduled for later this year.
The company thus maintained its yearly production guidance to produce between 106-million pounds and 175-million pounds of copper at a cash cost of between $1.20/lb and $1.40/lb.
Nevsun added on Monday that an investigation by Eritrean authorities into an act of vandalism at Bisha during the night shift on March 20, during which minor damage was sustained to the base of the tailings thickener, resulting in the release of water into the plant area, was ongoing.
The company had since arranged for increased security in and around the mine site and there had been no further incidents.