By Simon Russell
SilverSeek.com Mining Analyst
Recently I visited Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.’s San Jose mine in Oaxaca, Mexico, where their $9 million construction project is increasing the mill’s capacity from 1,000 tpd to 1,500 tpd of ore. Fortuna built this state of the art mine from the ground up, starting as an exploration project in 2006 and successfully advancing through the permitting and construction phases. The company declared commercial production in September 2011 on time and on budget.
Last year the San Jose mine produced 1.9 million ounces of silver and 17,900 ounces of gold. Their mill expansion project is expected to be completed in the beginning of the third quarter of this year, after-which the mine’s annual production will ramp up to approximately 3.2 million ounces of silver and 23,000 ounces of gold.