Copper mine operator Minera Los Pelambres, a part of Antofagasta Minerals, has offered to the Environmental Influence Evaluation System (SEIA) its Helpful Life Extension (EVU) challenge that seeks to increase its operations past the 12 months 2035, the date on which its present permits expire. With this initiative, the corporate plans to proceed copper manufacturing till 2051 in a sustainable method, utilizing clear power and desalinated seawater, amongst different attributes.
“This challenge is a part of the corporate’s future imaginative and prescient, which seeks to keep up its contribution to the financial system, employment and well-being of the inhabitants of the province of Choapa, the Coquimbo area and the nation, finishing up fashionable mining, sustainable and respectful of its atmosphere,” mentioned Iván Arriagada, Govt President of Antofagasta Minerals.
As its identify signifies, the initiative consists of extending the helpful lifetime of the operation of Minera Los Pelambres, one of many largest copper deposits in Chile, incorporating round 1,200 Mt of extra reserves to the two,100 Mt already environmentally accepted.
The materialisation of the Minera Los Pelambres Helpful Life Extension Mission will contain an preliminary funding of US$2 billion and it’s estimated that in its interval of biggest development exercise it can generate roughly 4,000 jobs.
At the moment, Minera Los Pelambres is constructing the Operational Adaptation Mission (PAO), which amongst different works considers doubling the capability of the desalination plant it has in Los Vilos, to provide 800 litres per second of desalinated water. As soon as the PAO comes into operation, greater than 90% of the water utilized by the operation can be recirculated or desalinated.
With the intention of continuous to function primarily with sea or recirculated water, the EVU challenge may progressively allow as much as an extra 800 litres per second of desalinated water, if vital. To do that, it can make the most of an necessary a part of the infrastructure that’s already constructed within the Los Vilos sector, resembling underwater seawater assortment works. This reduces potential impacts on its atmosphere and avoids interfering with different actions that happen within the bay.
“We wish to proceed deepening the water transition that we started this 12 months by turning into the primary mining firm within the central zone of Chile that makes use of seawater in its manufacturing processes. With the EVU challenge we’re going to guarantee the necessities of future operation in a context of local weather change, fulfilling our dedication to provide copper principally with seawater or recirculated course of water,” defined Alejandro Vásquez, Normal Supervisor and Vice President of Operations of Los Pelambres Mining.
As within the different tasks which can be a part of the Los Pelambres Futuro imaginative and prescient, inside its voluntary commitments the EVU challenge considers making a part of its seawater extraction capability obtainable to the group, which might be utilized by a developed initiative by third events for human consumption and different makes use of. On this manner, it contributes to dealing with the drought that impacts the province of Choapa and the area of Coquimbo because of local weather change.
Extending the operations of Minera Los Pelambres past 2035 “implies a profit not just for its shareholders, but additionally for the province of Choapa, for the area of Coquimbo and the nation. In 2023 alone the Firm generated taxes of 365 million {dollars}, right now it employs greater than 7,700 folks, of which greater than half reside within the Coquimbo area. As well as, it does enterprise with a whole lot of small and medium-sized native corporations and helps social initiatives outlined along with neighboring communities and authorities,” mentioned Alejandro Vásquez.
Minera Los Pelambres right now represents 25% of the regional GDP and near 70% of exports. As a approach to scale back its potential results on the atmosphere, the EVU challenge will make the most of the services already constructed on the El Mauro dam to deposit its tailings, with out requesting to intervene in new sectors. To do that, it’s proposed to extend the utmost top accepted within the present plan of the primary wall of the dam by roughly 16%.
“For this development of the El Mauro Dam we’ve got carried out engineering research and completely different simulations, with the recommendation of a panel of worldwide consultants, with a view to assure its protected operation,” explains Vásquez.
Likewise, the EVU Mission is not going to intervene in rock glaciers or excessive Andean plains situated within the environment of the positioning, which is situated within the Andes mountain vary, greater than 3,500 m above sea degree.
As a part of its environmental commitments to the Coquimbo area, the corporate presently protects greater than 27,000 hectares of untamed areas, amongst that are 4 Nature Sanctuaries (Ramsar Web site Laguna Conchalí, Palma Chilena de Monte Aranda , Quebrada Llau-Llau and Cerro Santa Inés). “For each hectare we use in our operations, Minera Los Pelambres protects 6 hectares of untamed areas. On this manner, we contribute positively to the conservation, information and dissemination of the biodiversity of the central space of Chile,” indicated the Vice President of Operations and Normal Supervisor of the Firm.
