The Al-Masane copper mine in Saudi Arabia's Najran province has resumed operation and exported 8,000 tons of zinc to South Korea and 6,000 tons of copper to India this week, Arab media reported on Thursday.
The mine, remaining closed for decades due to a drop in mineral prices globally, restarted operations in the presence Najran Governor Prince Mishal bin Abdullah. The mine's reserves are estimated at 4.9 million tons of zinc and copper. Besides, its ores contain 97 gram of gold and 31 gram of silver per ton.
Al-Masane Al-Kobra Mining (AMAK) Chairman Talal Al-Sha'er said the company would build a SR 1.5 billion ($400 million) smelter within an a year. Presently it is producing 35,000 tons of copper and 45,000 tons of zinc annually. The company has built a crude material treatment plant and started operation in the third quarter of 2011. The plant is operated by a Chinese company.
AMAK is an alliance of eight companies and factories that were formed in 2006 to start work in the abandoned mine and it is the first private-sector mining company in the oil-rich Kingdom, the report said.
by RTT Staff Writer
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