The Cerro de Maimón underground mine calls for a US$1.3 billion investment, according to the vice president of the mine company, Corporación Minera Dominicana (Cormidom), Elizabeth Mena. As reported in the Listin Diario, in its initial stage, US$100 million will be invested in the mine. Explorations will be made up to a maximum depth of 1,200 meters. Construction of the underground mine began in July 2018 and it is expected to be operational by the second half of this year. Mena explained that two 6 kilometer tunnels are being dug to reach the ore that is now being explored “in the form of an open pit”. Mena said that the minerals obtained by Cormidom in the open pit are copper, zinc, gold and silver. The minerals are exported to Europe, Asia and the United States. Mena said the main buyer of copper is China. Other major buyers are in Belgium and Switzerland. She said the minerals go to foundries where the metal separation processes take place and the ingots are made.
Mena explained that an underground mine has less environmental impact than an open pit mine, such as the Cerro de Maimon mine currently operates. She explained an open pit mine requires that much more material must be extracted. She explained that underground mining is better from an environmental point of view because less land needs to be removed as the miners go directly to the resource.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
23 January 2019
