Top 10 Metals & Minerals Projects in the Americas Reach Staggering Size

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Resource (coal, iron ore, precious metal ore, etc.) mining projects account for about 83% of the total planned Metals & Minerals Industry spending in the Americas. Metals & Minerals Industry projects in the Americas continue growing larger and larger in magnitude, as companies deal with escalating costs and try to take advantage of economy of scale. Estimated costs for many projects exceed the gross domestic product of small countries. The estimated total investment value (TIV) for the Kearl Oil Sands project of $30 billion exceeds the gross domestic product of Panama (2011 GDP of $26.7 billion). The first phase of Kearl is scheduled for completion late this year.

Click on the image at right to view a listing of the top 10 Metals & Minerals Industry projects in the Americas.

Imperial Oil Limited's (TSX:IMO) (Calgary, Alberta) Kearl Oil Sands project is one of the largest Metals & Minerals projects in the world and currently ranks first in the Americas, based on TIV. Other projects on the top 10 list include Teck Resources Limited's (NYSE:TCK) (Vancouver, British Columbia) Frontier Oil Sands Mine and Vale SA's (NYSE:VALE) (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Sierra Sul Iron Ore Mine in Brazil.

There are more than 2,300 active Metals & Minerals Industry projects totaling $791 billion in the Americas. Geographically, the five largest countries in the Americas for Metals & Minerals Industry projects are Canada with 476 projects totaling $288 billion, Brazil with $168 billion, the U.S. with $106 billion, Chile with $83 billion, and Peru with $69 billion.

Of the total, 978 projects have a TIV of $100 million or more, and 220 projects have a TIV of $1 billion or more.

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Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.