ALFONSO MARTINEZ VERA APRIL, 2012 I MEXICO S COPPER PRODUCTION II MEXICO S COPPER RESOURCES III COPPER EXPLORATION IV NEW COPPER OPERATIONS V CONCLUSIONS 1
LOCATION OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PORPHYRY COPPER BELTS IN NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA MEXICO S COPPER PRODUCTION COMES MAINLY FROM PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS (74%), BUT ALSO FROM SEDIMENTARY, EPITHERMAL, METASOMATIC AND VOLCANO-SEDIMENTARY DEPOSITS. MAP OF LARAMIDE BELT COPPER PORPHYRYES. THE GRAY ZONE INDICATES THE GREAT CLUSTER OF PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS IN THE NORTH AMERICAN CORDILLERA 2
450,000 400,000 350,000000 Miners Union Strike 440,329 t.3% 68. Tons of Copper 300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Source: Cámara Minera de México, General Annual Meeting 2011 Grupo Mexico s Buenavista del Cobre Mine (Former Cananea Mine), in Sonora State, reinitiated production to full capacity on April 2011, and reached an annual production of 172,488 tons of Cu, compared with 20,696 tons reported in 2010. Grupo Mexico s La Caridad Metallurgical Complex in Sonora State, produced 113,600 tons of Cu. Grupo Peñoles reported a total production of 26,400 tons of Cu from its Milpillas Mine located in Sonora State. Minera Frisco operator of the Maria Mine in Sonora, the Tayahua and Asientos Mines in Zacatecas and Aguascalientes, and San Francisco del Oro in Chihuahua, reported a total Cu combined extraction of. 21,395 tons. Also Grupo Peñoles obtained as sub-product from its Mines Bismark and Naica in Chihuahua; Sabinas and Francisco I. Madero in Zacatecas State, a total combined production of 13,672 tons. 3
Negociación Santa María de la Paz y Anexas, aprivate Mexican company, produced 19,700 tons of Cu from its mine in San Luis Potosí. Capstone Mining Corp. from Canada, produced 18,705 tons of Cu from its Cozamin Mine in Zacatecas Nyrstar Consortium from Belgium, reported an annual production of 5,200 tons of Cu from its G - 9 Mine located in the southern State of Guerrero. Aura Minerals Inc., from Canada, started commercial production in its Aranzazu Mine with an annul reported production of 3,515 tons of Cu. USD $ 13.9 BILLION SHEAR BY PRODUCT Source: Camara Minera de México 4
I MEXICO S COPPER PRODUCTION II MEXICO S COPPER RESOURCES III COPPER EXPLORATION IV NEW COPPER OPERATIONS V CONCLUSIONS COUNTRY RESERVES (Million Tons) Chile 190 Peru 90 Australia 86 Mexico 38 United States 35 China 30 Russia 30 Poland 26 TOTAL 690 Source: USGS, Minerals Commodities Summaries 2012 5
NAME STATE TONNAGE (Mt) Cu (%) Mo (%) CONTAINED Cu (t) CONTAINED Mo (t) El Arco BCS 1,016 0.52 n.d. 5,262,900 n.d. Tiámaro Michoacan 500 0.60 n.d. 3,000,000 n.d. Piedras Verdes Sonora 288 0.37 n.d. 1,065,000 n.d. La Caridad Sonora 1,800 0.45 0.02 8,136,000 444,600 Bahuerachi Chihuahua 605 0.39 039 0.008 008 2,401,000 000 48,400 400 Santo Tomás Sinaloa 274 0.50 n.d. 1,365,000 n.d. Cuatro Hermanos Sonora 764 0.18 0.02 1,955,000 n.d. Milpillas Sonora 230 0.85 n.d. 1,955,000 n.d. Pilares Sonora 147 1.04 n.d. 1,529,000 n.d. Mariquita Sonora 100 0.48 n.d. 480,000 n.d. Suaqui Verde Sonora 87 0.43 n.d. 375,000 n.d. Cumobabi Sonora 67 0.27 0.10 178,200 66,300 Tameapa Sinaloa 50 0.40 n.d. 127,400 14,700 Malpica Sinaloa 29 0.51 n.d. 147,900 n.d. Luz del Cobre Sonora 14.7 0.74 n.d. 108,500 n.d. El Batamote Sonora 4.4 0.36 n.d. 15,840 n.d. Cananea Sonora 7,140 0.42 0.01 23,135,000 102,800 Mariquita Sonora 100 0.48 n.d. 480,000 n.d. La Verde Michoacan 110 0.70 n.d. 770,000 n.d. Tepal Michoacan 80 0.23 n.d. 184,500 n.d. San Isidro Michoacan 81 0.35 n.d. 283,500 n.d. TOTAL 13,281.10 279.99 1.44 52,954,740 676,800 6
NAME STATE TYPE OF DEPOSIT TONS (Mt) Cu (%) CONTAINED COPPER El Boleo BCS Sedimentary 265.0 1.33 3,524,500 San Nicolas Zacatecas Volacano-Sedimentary 65.0 1.32 858,000 San Martin Zacatecas Skarn 13.3 0.69 91,770 Sabinas Zacatecas Skarn 4.25 0.76 32,300 Santa María de La Paz S.L.P. Skarn 16.8 1.02 171,360 TOTAL 364.3 4,677,930 According with the Scientific Investigation Report 2010-5090-A prepared in cooperation by the USGS and MGS, the identified porphyry copper resources in Mexico, totalized 52.9 million tons copper contained, plus the resources identified in other type of deposits, Mexico adds a total of approximately 57.6 million tons of copper resources without being affected by recovery factor. 7
I MEXICO S COPPER PRODUCTION II MEXICO S COPPER RESOURCES III COPPER EXPLORATION IV NEW COPPER OPERATIONS V CONCLUSIONS 2011 EXPLORATION BUDGETS OFTHE TOP TEN COUNTRIES USD $ 18.2 BILLION 3% 18% 4% 8% 6% 12% 2% 5% 5% 3% Others countries 31% Source: Metals Economics Group 8
2,329 exploration companies budgeted a total of USD $ 16.3 billion for mining exploration in the world Source: Metals Economics Group BASE METALS 32% USD $ 3.6 billion were spent in copper exploration Source: Metals Economics Group; Corporate Exploration Strategies 9
806 MINING PROJECTS FINANCED WITH FOREIGN CAPITAL Source: Bureau of Mining Promotion; 2010 data I MEXICO S COPPER PRODUCTION II MEXICO S COPPER RESOURCES III COPPER EXPLORATION IV NEW COPPER OPERATIONS V CONCLUSIONS 10
Grupo Mexico s Buenavista Mine is expected to produce 180,000 tons of copper in 2012, which represents 100% of its present installed capacity. The equipment that was acquired for Tia Maria project in Peru, has been reassigned to Buenavista, which will increase the capacity of the SX/EW plant under construction to 120,000. This expansion program will increase the current capacity of the plant at Buenavista from 180,000 tons of copper to 488,000 ton by 2015. The detail engineering is underway for the development of Grupo Mexico s Angangueo underground mine in Michoacan State. Operations are scheduled to start in the second half of 2014, with an annual production of 36,000 tons of copper. Baja Mining will start operations at its El Boleo project in Baja California Sur, during the first half of 2013. For the first six years of the 23 years time life, the mine will produce 56,750 tons of copper. Grupo Mexico continues with the final details to start the construction of its El Arco Mine, in Baja California Sur, that will produce 190,000 tons of copper. The capital expenditures will reach USD $ 2,200 million and the construction time is estimated in four years. The Piedras Verdes Mine in Sonora, operated by Frontera Copper Corp. suspended its production at the end of 2008 hurt by lower copper prices. The annual production in 2007 was 24,380 tons. The company was acquired by Mexican Invecture Group, and is expected to restart production in the short term. In 2008 the China's biggest producer of nickel, cobalt and platinum group minerals, Jinchuan Group bought the Bahuerachi Cu - Zn Project. They have announced an investment of USD $ 800 million, to develop the mine. 11
I MEXICO S COPPER PRODUCTION II MEXICO S COPPER RESOURCES III COPPER EXPLORATION IV NEW COPPER OPERATIONS V CONCLUSIONS In Mexico in 2011, copper was the metal with the best performance, getting an increase of 68.3 %, compared with the previous year production, reaching 440,329 ton of metallic Cu. Mexico s copper production comes mainly from porphyry copper deposits (74%), but also from sedimentary, epithermal, metasomatic and volcanosedimentary deposits. According with the figures of the United States Geological Survey 2012 Mineral Commodities Summaries, Mexico occupies the 10 TH position as world copper producer. 12
Based on the figures of the USGS, the world copper resources are approximately 690 million tons. With 38 million tons, Mexico hosts 5.5 % of the global copper reserves. According to the Metals Economics Group (MEG), in 2011 Mexico occupies the fourth position as country destiny for mining exploration with 6 % of the world exploration budget. The MEG estimates that approximately USD $ 3.4 billion were spent last year in copper exploration; 2% equivalent to USD $71.7 million were applied in Mexico. With the conclusion of the expansion of Grupo Mexico s Buenavista del Cobre Mining Complex and the startup of production at Angangueo and El Boleo Mines, and with the resumption of production at Piedras Verdes Mine, in 2015 Mexico must be producing around 875,000 tons of copper. There are still 2 major copper deposits undeveloped There are still 2 major copper deposits undeveloped, El Arco with 1,062 million tons of reserves and Baherachi with 600 million tons, that will impact the production in the middle term. 13
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