Chile's Esperanza environmental impact presented
Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:24PM EDT
reuters.com
SANTIAGO, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Chilean copper miner Antofagasta Plc (ANTO.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it had presented an environmental impact study for the development of its Esperanza copper-gold project in the north of the country.
It said in a statement it would rely on the latest technology to keep water use to a minimum. The use of water to serve the mining industy in northern Chile, one of the driest regions in the world, is an increasingly contentious issue.
Antofagasta has said the Esperanza project was expected to require investment of about $1.5 billion.
First production is expected at the end of 2010. Esperanza will produce copper concentrate with gold and silver by-product. Ore throughput is expected to average 97,000 tonnes per day.
In its first 10 years of operation, Esperanza is expected to produce an annual average of about 700,000 tonnes of concentrate containing 195,000 tonnes of payable copper, 229,000 ounces of payable gold and 1,556,000 ounces of payable silver. |
