Start of Tin Production at Pirquitas Further Delayed

Mar. 9 -- Silver Standard Resources gave no indication of likely tin production at its Pirquitas silver-zinc-tin mine in Argentina when announcing its year end 2010 results last week. During the course of 2010 it continuously downgraded its tin production forecasts for last year from 600 tonnes at the start of the year to 45 tonnes in November. At that time the company said that although the tin circuit had been “commissioned and despite it producing a high-grade saleable gravity tin concentrate, tin recovery is poor”. No tin production figure for last year was given.

In the latest release it states that “we will advise through 2011 progress on the tin circuit”. Meanwhile silver production is forecast to rise from 6.3 million ounces in 2010 to 8.5 Moz this year and sales of zinc concentrates are expected to begin in the current quarter. The theoretical tin capacity of the mine, assuming that satisfactory recoveries can be achieved, is over 2,000 tpy of tin-in-concentrate.