Bolivian state-owned mining company Empresa Siderúrgica del Mutún (ESM) reported to the Bolivian Agency of Information on Saturday that 100-200 people will be hired to install the machinery to start operations at what will be the largest iron ore mine in Bolivia.
The machinery arrived on site this week and installation will commence shortly. Pedro Vargas, ESM's finance and executive manager, said that this is the very first hiring move to start the project, owned by India's Jindal Steel and located in Mutún, Bolivia. Mr. Vargas said that the first formal hiring phase will add another 1,000 employees, and that the project should generate an additional 10,000 indirect jobs.
Vargas also said that, due to the complexity and scope of the project, the mine will not reach maximum output until its sixth or seventh year of production.
Mutún contains one of the largest iron ore and manganese reserves in the world. The mine's surface area extends approximately over 65 square kilometers and contains an estimated 40 billion metric tons of iron ore.