Construction starts at ElMutún - the steelworks set to transform Bolivia

Construction has started at ElMutún, the steelworks set to change the future of Bolivia.

A ground-breaking ceremony has been held at ESM’s site in Port Suarez, which has the world’s largest single reserve of iron ore.

The new steelworks will have an annual production capacity of 150,000 tonnes, saving Bolivia $230 million USD a year in steel import costs. The plant is expected to drive the country’s industrial modernisation and increase local employment.

The site’s rolled products will meet 60 per cent of local demand and will mainly be used for local architectural projects.

A mineral separation plant, iron ore processing shop, DRI plant, meltshop and hot strip mill are being created.

The project is CISDI’s first total process engineering consulting contract in South America.

CISDI is providing total process engineering consulting, with specific responsibility for project quality monitoring and certification of design, construction, trial production and operation for the steel plate production lines.

The project is scheduled to take four years. A 30-month construction period will be followed by 12 months of operations monitoring and a further three months’ monitoring of ESM operations.

Under ESM, CISDI will co-ordinate closely with design, construction and supply parties providing technical and cost consulting and project management.

Present at the groundbreaking ceremony were Bolivia’s President, Evo Morales, the minister for the Bolivian Mine Ministry, Cesar Navarro, ESM’s chairman, Lara, and the Chinese ambassador to Bolivia, Yu Liang.

The groundbreaking ceremony at the ElMutún steelworks in Port Suarez, Bolivia

The President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, shakes hands with Tao Li, the president of CISDI’s Engineering Consulting Company

Artist’s impression of the ElMutún steelworks