Lisheen mine in Tipperary makes final shipment

Vedanta Resources has said its Lisheen mine in Co Tipperary made its final shipment last week, completing planned closure of the site.

The group , which also produces copper, coal, aluminium, lead, iron ore and oil, said mining activity at the zinc and lead mine had stopped in November.

The mine’s closure, which was announced last April, will further tighten the supply of the metal used to galvanise steel.

The zinc market has tightened after last year’s output cuts by Glencore and the closure of the Century mine in Australia.

Lisheen employed between 360 and 400 people at full production, Vendanta said.

The mine consisted of an underground mine, concentrator and backfill plant.

Operations at Lisheen began in 1999. Over its life, 22.4 million tonnes of ore was mined at the site, at an average grade of 11.63 per cent zinc and 1.96 per cent lead.

Vedanta Resources said Lisheen typically produced about 300,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate annually.

The mine produced 150,000 tonnes of mined metal in 2015.

"Lisheen has made a hugely valuable contribution to Vedanta and has also made a very positive impact to the local and national economy, bringing significant employment opportunities to the area," said Deshnee Naidoo, chief executive, Vedanta Zinc International.

Additional reporting: Reuters