South Africa - golden Production fell down in January, 2008

The South African golden production fell down 16,5 % and the mining in general 10,7 % in January from the same month of last year, partly due to courts of electricity that led to some mines to closing wells.

The minerals production out of the gold fell down 9,6 % in January, said on Thursday statistical South Africans.

The South African mines closed for five days in January after the company of electricity Eskom said that it could not guarantee the supply.

Eskom then ordered the mine-layers to cut the use of electricity away in 10 % to help to solve the crisis that has impelled to the rise the price of the metals and that provoked that some mine-layers cut the production forecasts away.

Gold Fields said last month that would close some of his mining wells due to the absence of electricity.

The division of statistics Stats S.A. said that the mining entire production for three months that they finished in January, 2008 fell down 3,9 % compared with three previous months, because the golden extraction collapsed 9,2 % and that of other minerals different from the gold lost 3 %.

South Africa, which had been the biggest golden mine-layer from 1905, transferred his place last year, like major producing, to China.

The Chamber of Mines, which represents the big South African mine-layers, he said on Monday that the golden production fell down 7,4 % in 2007 principally due to minor quality of the mineral and also for closings wells for safety.

The entire value of sales of mineral of South Africa for 2007 raised 16,6 %, to 225.640 million Krugerrand (28.960 million Dollars), after raising 35,54 % in 2006.

12-03-2008 Reuters

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