Los Pelambres complementary infra project gets environmental green light

Chilean copper giant Antofagasta Minerals' US$1.1bn Los Pelambres complementary infrastructure project has received environmental approval after an evaluation lasting nearly 20 months, the company reported.

The project includes building a backup desalination plant to be used during times of drought and will add a new SAG mill and a new ball mill to the nine existing mills, as well as six new flotation cells in addition to the existing 49.

The expanded processing equipment is needed to manage Los Pelambres' hardening ore and paves the way for the mine to reach its environmentally approved capacity of 210,000t/d.

The project approval came by unanimous vote of the environmental evaluation committee in Chile's Coquimbo region (IV).

Antofagasta, which has a 60% controlling stake in Los Pelambres, will focus on advancing technical studies and obtaining the remaining sectoral permits in the coming months before submitting the project to its board of directors for an investment decision.