https://www.miningweekly.com

China steelmaker HBIS lines up investment in Peru iron-ore mine

3rd August 2020

By: Reuters

  

Font size: - +

BEIJING – HBIS Resources Co, a unit of China's second-biggest steelmaker HBIS Group, said on Monday it had signed an initial deal to develop the Pampa de Pongo iron-ore mine in Peru alongside current licence-holder Zhongrong Xinda.

The two Chinese companies plan to set up a joint venture to work on the first stage of the mine, which also contains copper, cobalt and gold reserves, an HBIS Resources filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange showed.

The scope of cooperation includes mine and port construction and operation, it added. No value was put on the framework agreement, which was signed on July 31 and will serve as a basis for negotiations between the two firms.

Investing in Peru, the world's second-biggest copper producer after neighbouring Chile, would be HBIS' first foray into South America. It coincides with steady demand from Chinese steel mills as prices of iron ore, the main steel-making ingredient, top $100 a tonne.

Qingdao-based Zhongrong Xinda acquired the rights to Pampa de Pongo in 2016 and its subsidiary Jinzhao Mining Peru is the project's operator.

A portfolio published by Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines in October 2018 said Pampa de Pongo, in the Arequipa region, could produce 28.1-million tonnes of iron per year and was expected to start operations in 2023.

It put the investment required at $2.2-billion.

Peru in mid-March imposed a mining lockdown to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, but has since eased restrictions. The country has reported more than 400 000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 18 000 deaths from Covid-19, the respiratory disease the virus causes.

Edited by Reuters

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION