The El Peñón gold-silver mine, located in Chile’s Antofagasta Region and operated by Pan American Silver Corp., is a high-grade underground operation producing doré bars. With a nominal capacity of 1.533 Mtpa, it processed 3,711 tpd in early 2024 using advanced cyanide leaching and Merrill-Crowe precipitation.
- Processing Circuit: Crushing → Grinding/Pre-Leach Thickening → Leaching → CCD Solution Recovery → Clarification/Zinc Precipitation → Refining → Tailings Filtering
- Throughput: 3,711 tpd (H1 2024), nominal capacity of 1.533 Mtpa
- Key Equipment: 950x1250mm jaw crusher, SAG/ball mill circuit, 4 CCD thickeners, vacuum belt filters
- Recovery Methods: 75% extraction in SAG mill leaching, Merrill-Crowe precipitation for final recovery
- Water/Energy Use: 0.28 m³/t water, 46.3 kW/dmt energy (avg. H1 2024)
- Key Reagents: Sodium cyanide (2.94 kg/t), zinc (3.44 kg/kg Au+Ag), oxygen (0.28 m³/t)
- Tailings: Filtered to 20% moisture, transported to TSF 2km from plant
- Final Product: 165kg doré bars with 99%+ precious metal content
Source: Pan American Silver Corp.
Further Reading
Technical report and processing history
The following archived source profiles have been consolidated here to preserve the project’s processing history and study context.
El Peñón — 2024 Technical Report
El Peñón — 2024 Technical Report
| Company | Pan American Silver Corp. |
| Date | 2024 |
Executive Summary
The El Peñón processing facility utilizes a comprehensive metallurgical circuit to recover gold and silver from both run-of-mine and stockpiled ore. The plant is engineered for a nominal capacity of 1.533 Mtpa, maintaining a consistent throughput of approximately 3,711 tonnes per day as of the first half of 2024. The metallurgical flowsheet integrates a robust crushing and grinding circuit with cyanide leaching, followed by a Merrill-Crowe precipitation process to produce doré bars.
Key technical features include a primary jaw crushing circuit, a closed-loop SAG and ball mill grinding circuit, and a counter-current decantation (CCD) system for efficient solution recovery. The refining process utilizes retort furnaces and reverberatory smelting, supported by tailings filtration for sustainable disposal. The operation demonstrates high efficiency in precious metal recovery through rigorous chemical monitoring and optimized reagent consumption.
Website: https://panamericansilver.com/operations/gold-segment/el-penon/
Report Date: 2024
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