Antofagasta wins enviro approval to extend Zaldivar mine life
London-listed Antofagasta has secured environmental approval in Chile to extend the life of its Zaldívar copper mine through 2051 and advance a planned transition to a new water supply.
The Chilean environmental authority has signed off on the project’s environmental impact assessment, the company said on Friday.
The official environmental qualification resolution, known by its Spanish acronym, RCA, is expected in the coming days.
The approved plan includes continued exploitation of Zaldívar’s secondary sulphide ore and allows for the potential future development of its primary sulphide resource. It also sets the stage for shifting the mine’s water supply after 2028 to either seawater or a third-party source.
“Following two years of permitting process, and through a detailed and proactive engagement with communities, government and other stakeholders, we have achieved a result that facilitates operational continuity and employment for our own and contractor workforce, as well as for numerous local businesses that support Zaldívar in its operations,” Antofagasta CEO Iván Arriagada said in a statement.
Zaldívar will continue to rely on its existing water supply until 2028, while evaluating long-term supply alternatives.
“Looking forward, today’s announcement further derisks our business, allowing us to focus on realising Zaldívar’s full potential,” Arriagada added.
Zaldívar is a 50:50 joint venture between Antofagasta and Barrick Mining.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation