The Development of the Tizapa Mine in Mexico.

The Tizapa Mine is located approximately 130 line kilometers west of Mexico City, the United States of Mexico.The deposit is classified into strata-bound massive sulfide deposit similar to the Kuroko type deposit in Japan, in which Dowa Mining Co., Ltd. has accumulated much experience and technology for its exploration and development. In fact, the Tizapa Mine is the first example in Mexico developed by+using this technology.Following the discovery of the deposit by Consejo Recurso de Mineral (CRM) in 1977, exploration was carried out as an Official Development Assistance project between the Mexican and Japanese governments through CRM and Japan International Cooperation Agency/Metal Mining Agency of Japan in 1987. After an international tender offered by Mexican government, the result of the project was succeeded as the development of the Tizapa Mine by Minera Tizapa, S. A. de C. V., a private joint venture company, among Dowa Mining Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Corporation and Industrias Penoles, S. A. de C. V., which is the leading Mexican mining company and the largest silver producer in the world.The development of the Tizapa Mine has been very successful by mutual cooperation among the parties and now the production is reached at 25, 000 tonnes per month, crude ore. Following the successful result of a surface exploration drilling program around the deposit, an expansion plan aiming at 40, 000 tone per month production is now underway.