Indonesia's 2009 tin output may fall below 90,000T

Factiva: "World's largest tin exporter Indonesia may restrict tin output next year to below 90,000 tonnes, more than 11% below 2007's output of 102,000 tpy. This is to prevent tin prices from sliding further and to ensure a more sustainable mine development, said the energy and minerals ministry's director for coal and mineral industry and development, Bambang Gatot Ariyono. 'We have sent requests to local government in Bangka and Belitung to find out the level of mining they are comfortable with,'"

Smelting CEO says Asian tin output may fall 20% on lower price

Intellasia: "Tin output in Asia may drop a fifth should the price fall 13% to US$13,000 a metric tonne and discourage producers from operating at full capacity, according to Malaysia Smelting Corp., the country's largest supplier.

A slump to that level will mean ``lower ore grade projects will be suspended,'' hurting global tin supply, Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Ajib Anuar said in an interview,"

The price slide ``is just temporary,'' Anuar said, adding that the metal must rise to between US$18,000 and US$20,000 a tonne for the mining of tin ore to be viable and to get mining companies to resume production at full capacity.

Tin Oxide for Solar Wind Collector

ResearchGATE: "The problem of Self Shadowing by collection grids creates the dual state of conductive and insulative states. Free electrons must pass through the shadow area to find the metal collection grid and the circuit. One strategy is with the Verticle Junction Photovoltaic Cell that has been invented by a NASA Scientist. It is ideal for higher concentration for intensits (a factor understood by Einstein) and is presently a item of stludy by Russian Scientists. Other strategies exist to address the self shadowing problem. One such is transparent collection grids as was funded by the DOD SDIO with SPIRE doing the work. Tin Oxide was considered. The invention by a NASA Scientist with Verticle Junction Photovoltaic Cells is currently (2008) being investigated at the Moscow Power Engineering Institute by Dr. Igor Tyukhov. Edit and updated, to be continued."

Van Dieman Mines held back by flaws.

Factiva: "Production at Van Dieman Mines' tin operation starts in two months

Planning delays plus 'significant flaws in the mining and processing plan' have held back Van Dieman Mines' tin and sapphire mining operations on the north east coast of Tasmania. Previous operational management has paid the price for putting in place mining equipment that used conveyors when the ground was much wetter than expected"

PT Timah Delay Tin Projects Due to Financial Crisis

Factiva: "New tin projects will be delayed given the current financial environment and project investment canceled this year until troubles in the global economy improve and demand recovers, the president director PT Timah (TINS.JK), Indonesia's largest tin producer, said Wednesday.

'We will wait until next year,' Wachid Usman told Dow Jones Newswires. 'We are not trying to boost production. We will boost production when the price is higher"

DJ China To Cut Export Quotas Of Minor Metals

Factiva: "China's Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday it is cutting export quotas for tungsten, tin and antimony for a second consecutive year, in a move that will help safeguard domestic supply of strategic metals." Export quotas for tin and antimony as well as their products will be cut to 23,300 tons and 58,700 tons, from 33,300 tons and 59,900 tons this year, respectively

Peru's Brescia to buy Brazil tin mine

Factiva: "Peru's Brescia group, which owns the country's only tin producer, will buy the Brazilian tin mine Pitinga for about $467 million, Peruvian officials said last week. 'The purchase is in the framework of a growth plan and assures access to bigger reserves,' the officials said in a statement. The tin reserves at Taboca assure a bigger horizon for a metal that is difficult to find and for which there is high demand"

European tin premiums hold steady

Factiva: "As volatility continued to rock the financial markets last week, with a knock-on effect to the base metals, European tin premiums managed to avoid the cyclone and remained unchanged. The Platts assessment for 99.9% tin remained steady at $360-400/mt plus LME cash, in-warehouse Rotterdam, with 99.85% stuck at $250-300/mt, same basis. 'We are hearing lots of offers out of Malaysia and Indonesia at the moment,' said one London-based trader with an LME ring dealer."

Egyptian tin mine on track

Factiva: "Australian miner Gippsland said last week it remained on track to develop its Abu Dabbab tantalum-tin project in Egypt, despite the global economic slump, and reassured investors that its US bank ties are minimal. The company said it was in negotiations with the German government-owned KfW Bankengruppe to bankroll development of the 44.5 million mt Egyptian mine,"