Metso will supply a ball mill and related equipment and services to Kinross Gold Corp for its Paracatu operation, located 230 km south of Brazil’s capital BrasÃlia. The delivery will be completed by June 2011. This is the fourth high capacity ball mill supplied by Metso for the nKinross Paracatu site. The order comprises one ball mill with dual drive. Metso’s scope of supply also includes spare parts, maintenance, training and technical supervision services. Metso has already supplied one SAG mill and three ball mills for this grinding circuit.The Paracatu mine is a large-scale open-pit operation located near the city of Paracatu. Kinross first acquired an ownership interest in the Paracatu mine upon completion of the merger with TVX on January 31, 2003. On December 31, 2004, Kinross purchased the remaining 51% from Rio Tinto.Access to the mine is provided by paved federal highways and charter aircraft. The mine is the largest employer in Paracatu, which is predominantly an agricultural town. Gold mining in the Paracatu area dates back to 1722 with the discovery of placer gold in the creeks and rivers of the Paracatu region.
Both the mill and mine operate 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. The nominal plant throughput is 4.8 t/month or 58 Mt/y, considering the present ore hardness. In 2006, Kinross began an expansion of the mill facilities, which is expected to triple throughput to 61 Mt/y. Production of gold from the expansion plant began in September 2008. The expansion is expected to extend the life of the mining operation to 2040.
Kinross is a Canadian-based gold mining company with mines and projects located in the US, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Russia, Ghana, and Mauritania. The company employs approximately 7,000 people worldwide. Kinross is listed on Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges. In 2009, Kinross revenue was US$2.4 billion.
