Antofagasta Minerals: World's 5th largest copper mine appeals tailings dam decision
Source: Mineweb
See also
Copper Concentrate Board
Copper Concentrate CatalogThe Luksic Group, the parent company of Antofagasta Minerals, will appeal a Court of Appeals decision to Chile's Supreme Court, revoking water permits related to construction of a tailings dam at the world's fifth largest copper mine.
The original planning process for the $530-million El Mauro tailings dam at Minera Los Pelambres in northern Chile began in 2003. The regional environmental authority of Coquimbo (COREMA) approved the project's environmental impact assessment in April 2004, a decision ratified by Chile's national environmental agency (CONOMA) at the end of 2004. The court's decision specifically addresses the validity of permits granted by the Chilean water authority (Dirrecion General de Aguas) for the El Mauro project.
In a statement issued earlier this month, Los Pelambres management said they believed they have received all technical and legal permits necessary to construct the dam, which is now 58% complete. Start up of the dam, which would hold 1.7 million tons of tailings was planned for the end of 2007. Last year Los Pelambres earned $1.5 billion, mostly selling copper to China and India at record copper prices. The mine is projected to produce 320,000 tonnes of copper and 10,000 tonnes of molybdenum this year.
In 2004, however, community organizations in the Pupio Valley, which is a part of the municipality of Los Vilos, filed a claim objecting to the tailings dam. Local farmers and residents have protested against the project, claiming it would turn the Pupio River basin into a garbage dump, threatening local drinking water supplies. Los Vilos is a beach resort and port.
Los Pelambres is undergoing an expansion to extend the mine life from 30 years to 50 years, including boosting concentrator capacity. The mine is 60% owned by Antofagasta and 40% owned by a group of Japanese smelter companies.
In a statement to the Chilean newspaper El Mecurio Nair Huerta, President of the Caimanes Committee for Drinkable Water claimed that both business and political interests have been stacked against local residents. "We've requested that the government prioritize technical criteria and disregard" commits from Mineras Los Pelambres concerning how far the project has advanced, she said. |
