Inmet Mining Announces Process Plant Contract Award
TORONTO, CANADA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/14/12 -- Inmet Mining Corporation ("Inmet") (TSX: IMN) is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Minera Panama S.A. (MPSA) has selected Joint Venture Panama Inc. (JVP), a joint venture led by the mining and metallurgy division of SNC-Lavalin Inc. (a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.) with partners GyM S.A. (a member of Grana y Montero Group) and Techint International Construction Corp., to proceed with detailed engineering, procurement and construction of the Process Plant. This engagement will be performed in two phases. Under the first phase, JVP has been instructed to proceed with detailed engineering and procurement services.
Upon satisfactory advancement of detailed engineering, JVP will be instructed to proceed with the second phase which will involve the construction of the facility starting in Q4 2013. MPSA has already ordered SAG/Ball mills and motors, which are in manufacturing and scheduled to be delivered on site starting in Q4 2013.
The award to JVP recognizes the expertise of each party to the joint venture led by SNC-Lavalin, one of the world's leading engineering and construction groups. This award is the outcome of an eight-month competitive process involving several international consortia of engineering and construction firms.
The process plant is designed to treat a nominal throughput of 160,000 t/d, using two grinding lines, each having capacity of 80,000 tonnes per day. It is planned that the ore feed rate will increase to 240,000 tonnes per day after year nine of operations to maintain concentrate production levels despite a falling head grade. The scope of the mineral processing plant includes:
-- primary crushing, coarse ore conveying with mill feed stockpile with
reclaim apron feeders;
-- two (2) parallel semi-autogenous (SAG) mill lines with two (2) ball
mills per line;
-- bulk rougher flotation and cleaners;
-- molybdenum circuit;
-- copper concentrate thickener;
-- copper concentrate pumping to a filtration plant and concentrate storage
(both to be constructed by another contractor) at the Port Facility;
-- mechanical/electrical maintenance facilities; and
-- assay laboratory and other infrastructure to support the Process Plant.
The process plant is designed to process ore at a nominal head grade of 0.5% Cu and 0.01% Mo with a design maximum head grade of 0.9% Cu and 0.015% Mo.
Commitments for Cobre Panama are currently in excess of $2.5 billion.
About Cobre Panama
Cobre Panama is 100 percent owned by Minera Panama S.A., an 80-percent owned subsidiary of Inmet. Full details on the project are available from Inmet's public disclosures on its website at www.inmetmining.com and SEDAR, including details relating to the deposit.
About Inmet
Inmet is a Canadian-based global mining company that produces copper and zinc. We have three wholly-owned mining operations: Cayeli (Turkey), Las Cruces (Spain) and Pyhasalmi (Finland). We also have an 80 percent interest in Cobre Panama, a development property in Panama, currently in construction.
Contacts:
Inmet Mining Corporation
Flora Wood
Director, Investor Relations
+1 416 361 4808
Inmet Mining Corporation
Jochen Tilk
President and CEO
+1 416-860-3972
www.inmetmining.com