Nevsun lifts Q2 copper output

VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Base metals producer Nevsun Resources has reported a strong recovery of copper concentrate production, lifting second-quarter output to 5.7-million pounds.

It is a sharp recovery for the Eritrea-focused company, which resorted to producing a bulk zinc/copper concentrate late last year owing to plant issues at the Bisha mine.

The June-quarter performance reflected a 36% improvement over the first quarter this year.

Zinc-in-concentrate produced during the June period fell 17% quarter-over-quarter to 43-million pounds. This was mainly attributable to a 10% drop in head grades and zinc recoveries temporarily decreasing as the company placed more effort on improving copper recoveries, which had some impact on downstream zinc flotation.

Nevsun advised that Bisha continues to work on strategies to better separate zinc and copper into their respective circuits.