Yauricocha Mine is located in the Alis district, Yauyos province, department of Lima, 60km south of the Pachacayo railway station in Peru.
Yauricocha mine commodity production includes lead concentrate, copper concentrate, and zinc concentrate.
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The project employs underground polymetallic sulfide and oxide operation and provides material to the nearby Chumpe process facility.
The Yauricocha mine has been operating since 1948 and the property has been continuously operating under Sociedad Minera Corona (Minera Corona) since 2002.
Sierra Metals owns 82% of Minera Corona, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dia Bras Peru.
The estimated life of Mine (LOM) of the project based on the existing mineralised material estimate of 17.4 Mt is 11 years.
The total initial development capital for the mine expansion is estimated to be approximately $102m.
A preliminary economic assessment (PEA) released in June 2018, studies increasing production to 5,500 tonnes per day in 2021.
The company announced the updated Resource Estimate for the Yauricocha Mine in January 2022, and an updated PEA Technical Report was filed in March 2022.
Location and Project History
The Yauricocha project covering approximately 18,778 hectares, is located at an altitude of 4,600 Meters Above Sea Level (masl).
Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dia Bras Peru S.A.C., Sierra Metals acquired 82% of Minera Corona, S.A. in May 2011.
The company received the required permit to develop and mine below the 1120 level at the Yauricocha project in February 2024.
Yauricocha Reserves
Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources for Yauricocha are 14,310 tonnes averaging 43.7 g/t silver, 1.1% copper, 0.6% lead, 2.1% zinc, 25.9% iron and 0.5 g/t gold.
Geology and Mineralisation
The Yauricocha mine features several mineralised zones which have been emplaced along structural trends, with the mineralisation related to the replacement of limestones by hydrothermal fluids related to intrusions.
The mineralised bodies and quartz-sulfide veins appear to be related and form a very important structural mineralogical assemblage in the mineral deposit.
Mining
The mechanised sub-level caving method is employed at the project and a small portion of the mining is done using the overhand cut and fill method.
The project is planned to increase the production rate to 5,500 tpd (2.0 Mt/y) in 2024.
The mine can be accessed by the Central Shaft, the Mascota Shaft, and the Klepetko and Yauricocha tunnels.
Mineralised and waste material is transported via the Klepetko tunnel which runs east-northeast from the mine towards the mill and concentrator, and the 4.7km Yauricocha tunnel that accesses the mine at the 720 level.
This Life of Mine (LOM) considers mine development between 2022-2023 and increasing the production to 5,500 tpd in 2024 until 2029.
Yauricocha Ore Processing
The project’s on-site facilities include the processing plant, surface facilities, underground facilities, tailings storage facility (TSF), and support facilities.
The mineralised material is transported to the Chumpe plant located 1km from the mine by rail.
The facility comprises unit processes including crushing, grinding, flotation, dewatering and concentrate separation, concentrate storage, thickening and tailings discharge to the TSF.
The Chumpe plant’s current throughput capacity is 3,600 tonnes per day (TPD). The plant’s average daily production in 2020 was 3,038 TPD and the average increased to 3,532 TPD in 2021.
The processing capacity at the Chumpe plant is planned to increase to 5,500 TPD in 2024.
Yauricocha Infrastructure
The Project is connected via two routes and the regional capital Huancayo is located within 100 km.
Power required for the project operations is available through electric power, compressed air, and diesel.
The project site is connected to an existing 69 kV line. A compressed air system is used underground with an additional 149 kW compressor system, and diesel fuel is used in the mobile equipment and the 895-kW backup electrical generator.
The site has an existing communications system that includes a fibre optic backbone with the internet, telephone, and paging systems.
Water required for operations is sourced from Acococha Lagoon, Mishquipuquio, Huacuypacha Spring, Klepetko tunnel and recycled water from the TSF. The raw water is treated in water treatment systems for plant services.
Contractors Involved
Sika Peru was contracted to provide extensive mine site support and supply key components for efficient underground development at the different ore bodies for the project.
Sika provides its Sigunit and Viscocrete technology for the shotcrete and concrete works at Yauricocha mine.
