FACTBOX-Mines and plants hurt by low prices, high costs

Dec 19 (Reuters) - The global financial crisis and sharp falls in metals prices have forced several companies to abandon or put on hold their plans to bring new mines onstream.

Some existing producers also have shut down or curtailed output at mines and plants as high costs and low prices bite.

Below are details of major projects and facilities affected in recent months, as well as other related news.

Dec 19 - Australia's Oz Minerals Ltd (OZL.AX) to suspend operations at its Avebury nickel mine and slash 189 jobs.

Dec 17 - Anglo American Plc (AAL.L) to cut 2009 capital spending by more than half. Expansion of Los Bronces copper mine to be delayed by eight months. [ID:nLG223727]

Dec 17 - Century Aluminum Co (CENX.O) says will begin immediately to curtail one potline at Ravenswood, West Virginia aluminium smelter. [nN17345102]

Dec 17 - Alberta Star Development (ASX.V) says plans to delay its 2009 exploration programme.

Dec 16 - Penoles (PENOLES.MX) may delay a planned 48 percent expansion of its main zinc refinery. [ID:nN16257407]

Dec 16 - Congo has slashed copper output targets for the next three months by 30-40 percent and halved 2009 cobalt output projection. [ID:nLG646678]

Dec 16 - Bosnia's only aluminium smelter Aluminij Mostar will cut output in 2009 by 25 percent. Cutback announced late Nov, but no details given at that time. [ID:nLG375822]

Dec 16 - Jamaica's Windalco Bauxite Co will cut production by 35 percent. [ID:nN16271002]

Dec 15 - Teck Cominco Ltd (TCKb.TO) says will temporarily shut its Pend Oreille zinc mine. [ID:nBNG91937]

Dec 15 - Nyrstar (NYR.BR) to cut output at Clarksville zinc refinery in the United States by about 40 percent. [ID:nLF269312]

Dec 15 - Belvedere Resources (BEL.V) says has suspended all production at its Hitura and Sarkiniemi nickel mines.

Dec 15 - Strait Gold Crop (SRD.V) says has terminated its options on two Peru mining projects. [ID:nN15458770]

Dec 15 - OM Holdings Ltd (OMH.AX) to slash manganese production in Australia by nearly 30 percent next year. [ID:nSYD283355]

Dec 15 - Russia's United Company RUSAL plans to cut output by 4 percent or around 180,000 tonnes. [ID:nLF49756]

Dec 15 - Zambia's Chambishi Metals Plc has stopped production of cobalt. [ID:nLF735431]

Dec 12 - Revett Minerals (RVM.TO) says may place Troy copper-silver mine in the United States on care and maintenance.

Dec 11 - Rio Tinto (RIO.L) (RIO.AX) says will slow pace of 2009 exploration work at La Granja copper project in Peru. [ID:nN11414669]

Dec 11 - Japan's Pan Pacific Copper Co Ltd to cut copper runs 10 percent in Q1 2009 and may increase that to 20 percent. [ID:nT277639]

Dec 11 - Russia's UC RUSAL, plans shortly to close several potlines at its Bogoslovsk and Urals smelters. [ID:nLB348582]

Dec 10 - Norsk Hydro (NHY.OL) to permanently shut 120,000 tonnes of aluminium capacity at its Karmoy smelter in Q1 2009. [ID:nLA653715]

Dec 10 - Acadian Mining (ADA.TO) says it scaling back operations at its Scotia zinc-lead mine in Canada.

Dec 10- Highland Gold Mining (HGM.L) delays commissioning of its Novoshirokinskoye gold-silver-lead-zinc project and also defers majority of construction work at its Mayskoye gold project. [ID:nLA493483]

Dec 10 - Madras Aluminium says to temporarily suspend its entire aluminium production with immediate effect. Previously had made a 60 percent cutback.

Dec 10 - Rio Tinto's global spending cuts and layoffs likely mean delays for aluminium smelter projects in Canada. [ID:nN10347371]

Dec 10 - Rio Tinto Alcan has cut production at its aluminium smelters in France. [ID:nLA738279]

Dec 10 - Genco to delay completion of feasibility study for expansion at La Guitarra silver-gold mine in Mexico. [ID:nWNAB1526]

Dec 9 - Xstrata Plc (XTA.L) said it will continue the shutdown of its Falcondo ferronickel operations in the Dominican Republic. [ID:nL9699328]

Dec 9 - China's top tin producer, Yunnan Tin, 000960.SZ has stopped production at its smelting facility. [ID:nPEK28752]

Dec 9 - Boliden says it cutting its zinc production at its Finnish and Norwegian smelters. [ID:nL9657601]

Dec 9 - Eramet ERMT.PS says to adjust nickel output to about 50,000 tonnes per year (tpy) from the start of 2009.

Dec 9 - Xstrata says has cut ore production by 20 percent at its McArthur River lead-zinc mine in Australia [ID:nL9713243]

Dec 8 - Anvil Mining Ltd (AVM.AX) (AVM.TO) says it suspending copper production and shutting its Dikulushi mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). [ID:nSYD14038]

Dec 8 - South Korea's Young Poong (000670.KS) plans to cut zinc production by 10 percent. [ID:nSEO333638]

Dec 8 - Germany's GEA (G1AG.DE) confirmed Ruhr-Zink will close its Datteln zinc plant at the end of the year. [ID:nL8445457]

Dec 8 - Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd (5713.T) says to lower copper production by 10-20 percent in Q1 2009. [ID:nT327296]

Dec 4 - Vale (VALE5.SA) says to close indefinitely Copper Cliff South mine in Ontario, which produces about 8,000 tpy of nickel. [ID:nN04383005]

Dec 4 - Finnish mining firm Talvivaara (TALV.L) defers some capital spending to conserve cash. [ID:nL4517096]

Dec 3 - Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (FCX.N) lowers 2009 and 2010 copper output plans. [ID:nN03310672]

Dec 3 - Development work on the giant Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia has been cut to essential tasks. [ID:nSYD100070]

Dec 3 - Australian miner OceanaGold (OGC.AX) (OGC.TO) puts on hold Didipio copper-gold project in the Philippines. [ID:nMAN345477]

Dec 3 - Nippon Mining Holdings Inc (5016.T) says thinking of curbing copper output by 10-20 percent. [ID:nSP256151]

Dec 3 - BHP Billiton (BLT.L) (BHP.AX) temporarily cuts manganese output at 60 pct-owned Samancor operation. [ID:nSYD25371]