According to the president of Bolivia’s Empresa Siderurgica de Mutun (ESM), Jorge Alvarado Rivas, the construction of the iron ore and steel complex has achieved a 78 percent advance stage, comparable to 70.5 percent as measured in early May.
Rivas mentioned that the construction of the equipment is 97 percent concluded, with different items produced in China, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Mexico and the US. He added that 80 percent of such items have already arrived at the construction site.
Plants for concentration, pelletizing, direct reduction, steel conversion and rolling are in the construction and equipment assemblage phases.
The central electricity plant and ancillary services such as water supply, gas supply, offices and others are also in final stages of construction.
It is not clear if the December deadlines for the conclusion of the construction, and the first quarter of 2024 for the start of the steel production are maintained.
When concluded, ESM will produce 200,000 mt of steel per year, sufficient to feed half of Bolivia’s consumption. It is already exporting iron ore and is expecting to achieve an 840,000 mt per year production pace in 2024.