New records for Fresnillo

14th Jul 2010 07:49

Silver miner Fresnillo made new production records in the second quarter and first half of 2010 following a "modest" increase in output during the period.Just over 9.6m ounces (moz) of silver was produced in the three months to 30 June, up 0.3% on the same time last year, while first-half production of 19.1moz was 1.6% higher than in 2009.Attributable gold production in the second quarter received a "significant" boost from the start-up of commercial production at Soledad-Dipolos. Output leapt 34% in the quarter to a record 91,254 ounces and by 33% for the half-year.Elsewhere, lead production was up 10% and zinc 19.5% during the three months, mainly as a result of higher throughput and better ore grades at the Fresnillo mine.The company said it's well on track to achieve full year 2010 production targets, producing about 38moz of silver and with around 340,000 ounces attributable gold."Although we are pleased with these outcomes, which bear out our solid experience in developing and operating mines, we will continue improving performance at the mines," said chief executive Jaime Lomelín. "We remain committed to managing costs and delivering on our growth programme."