AngloGold suspends operations at Cerro Vanguardia

Operations at Cerro Vanguardia are expected to resume on 20 November 2020, however, movements to and from the site will be restricted to essential personnel only, until 30 November 2020.

Cerro Vanguardia, in which AngloGold Ashanti has a 92.5% stake, is the company’s sole operation in Argentina. Fomicruz, a state company operating in the province of Santa Cruz, owns the remaining 7.5%.

The mine operates multiple small open pits with high stripping ratios and multiple narrow vein underground mines. Cerro Vanguardia produced 225,000oz in 2019.

Argentina mining exports are expected to dip by 25% this year after activity ground to a halt under one of the strictest coronavirus lockdowns in the world.

Exports from the mining sector, made up of mostly lithium, gold and silver, will total about $2.4 billion in 2020, Mining Secretary Alberto Hensel said. Private sector investment in mineral exploration dwindled to $160 million in 2020, down from $241 million the previous year.

Argentina’s government mandated a strict lockdown on March 20, shutting down most activity, grounding travel and closing its borders. The pandemic hit the mining sector particularly hard, officials said, which relies on workers who often need to travel to reach job sites.