Operations

Location:

It is located approximately nine kilometres northwest of the Herradura mine.

Products:

Gold and silver dore

Milestones:

The pre-production investment was US$67.8 million.

Employees: 

286

The construction of the Soledad-Dipolos mine was successfully concluded in December 2009 and the production tests were completed with positive results. The first dore bar was poured on 9 December 2009 and commercial production started in January 2010, ahead of schedule and within budget. Pre-production investment in Soledad-Dipolos was US$67.8 million, with US$13.5 million in sustaining capital budgeted over the next six years.

It is located approximately nine kilometres northwest of the Herradura mine. Mineralisation is along the same strike of the Mojave-Sonora Mega shear zone as Herradura. As with Herradura, Fresnillo's interest in Soledad-Dipolos is held through the Minera Penmont joint venture (56% Fresnillo and 44% Newmont Mining Corporation).

The mine is an open pit heap leach operation similar to the existing Herradura mine.

Anticipated annual production is expected to be 100,000 ounces of gold in 2010 and 130,000 ounces of gold from 2011 onwards.