This site will be able to deliver about 2

The renationalization of mines announced Sunday by Bolivian President Evo Morales is the direct consequence of the violent recent clashes between workers and unionized miners in the town of Huanuni, 290 kilometres south of the capital La Paz. Clashes resulting in 16 deaths and to cause the assignment of the rights of the richest mine Tin in the country. Before 1985, this site was more than 30 of the world of the non-ferrous. The base metals market collapse that followed has reduced this extractive complex to a pale copy of what it was. Today, its production of 10,000 tonnes of Tin remains lower than that of prior to 1985. In 2005, the Bolivia has delivered 17,000 tonnes of the metal, corresponding to only 5 approximately of the world.

The second position in the export

Named after the serious incidents, the new Minister of extractive activities, Guillermo Dalence, confirmed that the renationalization plan will begin to be applied as early as October 31. The interest of such a measure in the eyes of the legal system is clear. In the first half of 2006, the Andean countries exported mineral resources in the amount of $ 483 million. It is the second position behind natural gas export. The extracted metals are silver, gold, Tin and zinc.

Four North American mining companies could be seriously affected by the nationalization. Apex Silver, young company of Denver (Colorado), is exposed with his operation of San Cristobal, in the Andean district of Potosi (to the southwest of the country), now shared with the Japanese giant Sumitomo (35 of the shares acquired on September 25). This site contains one of the open-pit the most promising in the world for money (470 million ounces of proven and probable reserves), zinc (8 billion pounds) and lead (3 billion pounds).

Pan American Silver, mining company created in 1994 in Vancouver, the Canadian province of British Columbia Colombia, is present in Bolivia via its participation of 55 since October 2005, in San Vicente mine, also located in the Andean district of Potosi. This site will be able to deliver about 2.5 million ounces of silver per year when it will run at full speed. Pan American has gradually increased since 1999, its interests in this operation by buying back to Corporacion Minera Bolivia (Comibol), the mining State.

Based in Coeur d'Alene (Idaho), the company the name of his city of origin is located in Bolivia through its San Bartolome mine, the largest operation in money made for decades on the American continent. Taking advantage of proven and probable reserves exceeding 150 million ounces of the precious metal, the open pit mine should, once completed, provide more than 8 million ounces of annual average money. In a statement issued yesterday following the announcement of the Bolivian authorities, Coeur d'Alene held to remind that Comibol held all the rights of the project of San Bartolome. Which could protect it from the plan of renationalisation. Nevertheless, the company said covered 85 of its investments already made on the site "for cause of expropriation, political violence or currency inconvertibility.

Orvana Minerals, based in Toronto, he works to Don Mario gold project, in the Bolivian East. This mine is expected to produce 414.000 ounces of gold on all of his life. Finally, affected to a much lesser extent that four cases, Newmont Mining, number two World Gold, develops in Bolivia the project gold of Kori Chaca, arrived at maturity of Kori Kollo open pit mine, located in the Andes, 200 kilometres south-east of the capital. This project is held by Newmont 88 and 12 by Bolivian Zealand Mines together in the joint venture Empresa Minera Inti Raymi.