Arian Silver reports progress on refurbishment of Ele Bote plant

4th Nov 2013 10:38

Arian Silver Corporation has reported a "positive start" to its refurbishment of the newly purchased Ele Bote processing plant in Mexico.The plant is expected to process up to 1,500 tonnes per day (tpd) once fully commissioned. "The successful commissioning of the plant and development of the mine will give Arian the capacity to achieve a scale of production that will create a robust project," according to Chief Executive Officer, Jim Williams. The plant, which was purchased in August and is situated about 50km from the site of the San Jose mine, comprises a crushing circuit with a reported throughput of 150 tonnes per hour.The refurbishment includes the reconditioning of the plant in-situ, its dismantling, transport and reinstallation at the company's 100%-owned San Jose project. Arian said it is expected to deliver reduced operating costs through improved overall efficiencies, including metal recoveries, lower transport costs, increased control of the entire operation and eliminate toll fees to a third-party for processing.The initial stage of the plant, providing a capacity of 750 tpd, is anticipated to be commissioned towards the end of 2014. The second phase, increasing capacity up to 1,500 tpd, is expected to complete shortly afterwards.Shares fell 8.97% to 33p at 10:50 on Monday.RD