Tara mines is to restart production at Navan in Co Meath in September with the reemployment of 640 workers, it has just been announced.
A total of 530 workers have restarted work at the mine, and they will be joined by an additional 110 miners when production begins again in September.
Tara’s production was suspended last November because of the low price of zinc as well as the high costs of the operation, according to Finnish parent company, Outokumpu.
The decision to restart production follows a three-month care and maintenance period and a programme to improve the mine’s productivity.
Although the first signs of the recovery in the demand of zinc metal are there, the price of zinc remains very low, according to the company.
International prices for zinc are around their lowest for more than a decade due to excess supply and poor demand.
To fully benefit from the forecast upturn in the zinc market next year, however, and to secure supplies to customers, the board has decided that production will restart in September.
It is planned Tara will produce some 60,000 tonnes of zinc in concentrate in 2002 and 200 000 tonnes in 2003.
