Mining Intelligence and News
Mexico

Fresnillo Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Silver
  • Gold
  • Lead
  • Zinc
Mining Method
  • Bench & Fill
  • Cut & Fill
Backfill type ... Lock
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Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotFresnillo is one of the world’s oldest continuously operating mines. In operation since 1554.

During 2023, deepening of the San Carlos shaft was concluded. However, commissioning was delayed due to the installation of key equipment and a number of modifications to improve the design of the service infrastructure.

Permits to tie in the Pyrites plant at Fresnillo were granted in 2Q23, with commissioning and process stabilisation both progressing well.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Fresnillo plc. 100 % Indirect
Fresnillo plc is the owner, with 100% ownership.

Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Manto
  • Sediment-hosted
  • Volcanic hosted

Summary:

The Fresnillo mine ore deposits consist of replacement chimney and manto bodies, disseminated sulfide bodies, and vein deposits hosted mainly in Cretaceous marine sedimentary and volcanic rocks.

The base metal-silver deposits are zoned to the southeast away from a small quartz monzonite stock, with increasing silver content and decreasing base metal values with distance from the stock. Wall rocks adjacent to the stock exhibit silicification and calc-silicate alteration that has been partially replaced by the sulfide minerals. Vein wall rocks exhibit potassic, phyllic, argillic, and propylitic alteration with increasing distance from the veins.Chimney and manto bodies contain pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, tetrahedrite, marcasite, arsenopyrite, and silver minerals. Chimney and manto bodies predate or are contemporaneous with base metal veins containing a similar mineralogy. Younger silver-rich veins consist primarily of pyrargyrite with lesser acanthite, proustite, miargyrite, polybasite, tetrahedrite, galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite. Individual veins exhibit increasing silver and decreasing base metal concentrations with increasing elevation.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

CommodityProductUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Silver Metal in concentrate oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe13,007,22715,117,15616,511,93715,864,61415,612,175
Gold Metal in concentrate oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe52,25942,29038,78442,42134,120
Lead Metal in concentrate t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe21,47219,61920,51421,32616,248
Lead Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe5954595951
Zinc Metal in concentrate t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe31,53031,09430,02125,89819,029
Zinc Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe6260585137
Silver Equivalent Metal in concentrate M oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018201720162015
Daily milling rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe7,349 t7,292 t
Daily milling capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe8 kt8 kt8 kt8 kt8 kt
Annual milling capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2,640 kt2,640 kt2,640 kt2,640 kt2,640 kt
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2,461,785 t2,443,440 t2,447,394 t2,373,092 t2,410,033 t

Production Costs

CommodityUnits2023202220212020201920182017
Cash costs Silver USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 2.3 / oz **   0.5 / oz **   0.7 / oz **  
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Silver USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 13.5 / oz **   8.92 / oz **   8.2 / oz **  
** Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs

Currency20232022202120202019201820172016
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD 101.1  91.5  84.7  69.9  62.7  49.4  47.5  43.9  

Financials

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 172.8   121.1   111.7  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 361.7   378.3   421.3  
Gross profit M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 164.6   211.5   252.2  
EBITDA M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 23, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 23, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 23, 2024

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2018
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2017
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2016
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2015

Aerial view:

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