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The Pirquitas Mine is Silver Standard's first major mining operation, and commercial production was achieved on December 1, 2009. At full production the mine will produce an average of approximately eight to ten million ounces of silver and ten to twelve million pounds of zinc annually, ranking Pirquitas among the largest primary silver mines in the world.
Pirquitas is located in northern Argentina in the province of Jujuy. The property is at an elevation of 4,100 meters and is accessible by two all-weather roads. The mine is powered primarily by natural gas, which is supplied by a 42 kilometer-long natural gas pipeline installed in 2008 from the mine to an existing Trans-Andean pipeline. The mine is operating as a conventional open pit mine utilizing 100 tonne trucks and three loading units. Ore is crushed and treated in a gravity pre-concentrator prior to the processing in a conventional mineral flotation plant. The silver and zinc concentrates produced from the plant are shipped to various smelters around the world.
Production for the full year 2011 is expected to be 8.5 million ounces of silver at an average direct mining cost of $11.00 per ounce of silver (net of by-product credits) and $20.00 per ounce total cash cost including royalties and taxes.
