Dominga

Description: The Dominga project is located in La Higuera, about 70km north of the city of La Serena, Elqui province, and involves the construction of an open pit mine and a port facility, over a total area of 10,370ha. The project is divided into three main development areas: Dominga, Lineal and Totoralillo, at approximately 320 meters above sea level. Dominga considers the production of high-grade iron concentrate and, as a by-product, copper concentrate. The mineral will be sent through an underground concentraduct to a Shipping Terminal to be built in the Totoralillo Norte sector, where the first mining port of the commune existed during the 19th century. Given the water scarcity of the territory where it will be inserted, Dominga will use desalinated seawater for its mining operation and also undertakes to double the current availability of water for human consumption for the residents of the La Higuera commune. The project is divided into three main development sectors: Dominga: considers facilities associated with two open-pit mining areas called Rajo Norte and Rajo Sur; a process plant, a ballast deposit and a thickened tailings deposit, in addition to all the works and auxiliary facilities associated with these processes. Linear: it includes a system of underground aqueducts that will transport water from the Totoralillo sector to the Dominga sector. Also, he considers, an underground concentraduct that will send iron ore from the Dominga sector to the Totoralillo sector; a 66 kV electric transmission line and a service road. Totoralillo: corresponds to the iron concentrate shipping terminal, which will also group the facilities associated with the thickening, filtering and storage system, as well as the works for the collection, desalination, delivery of water to the Dominga sector and discharge of brine to the sea.