ASIA — PACIFIC
11 of the leading fluorspar mines in the world as well as being the largest bismuth mine in the world too ,” he says . “ But Vietnam has so much untapped potential in terms of people too with quality of life , education and infrastructure all improving .
“ When you combine the resource potential with the human workforce potential , you really begin to recognise how close Vietnam is to changing the mining conversation in the world .”
The project produces around 3.5 to 3.8mn tonnes of ore per year , including tungsten , bismuth , fluorspar and small amounts of copper and gold . Bradshaw notes that the challenge then becomes one of processing those different minerals , both effectively and efficiently .
“ It really is a challenge in being able to process those minerals and extract them at different stages of the process ,” says Bradshaw . “ I ’ d argue it ’ s probably more challenging here than at any other mine in the world , given the nature of the minerals .”
www . miningglobal . com