Sumitomo Corporation is suspending operations at its zinc-, lead-, nickel-, and silver-producing mines in Bolivia and Madagascar.
The company’s zinc, lead, and silver mine, Minera San Cristobal in Bolivia as well as its Ambatovy Nickel Project in Madagascar are being shutdown to contain COVID-19. Day and night curfews in the South American and East African countries—which exclude continuous operations like power plants—forced the closures, the company said in a statement.
The Japanese mining company added that it is too early to measure the closures’ impacts on its financials or on production.
Ambatovy was initially projected to produce 60,000mt of nickel per annum.