Copper mine operator Minera Los Pelambres, part of Antofagasta Minerals, has presented to the Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA) its Useful Life Extension (EVU) project that seeks to extend its operations beyond the year 2035, the date on which its current permits expire. With this initiative, the company plans to continue copper production until 2051 in a sustainable manner, using clean energy and desalinated seawater, among other attributes.
“This project is part of the company’s future vision, which seeks to maintain its contribution to the economy, employment and well-being of the inhabitants of the province of Choapa, the Coquimbo region and the country, carrying out modern mining, sustainable and respectful of its environment,” said Iván Arriagada, Executive President of Antofagasta Minerals.
As its name indicates, the initiative consists of extending the useful life of the operation of Minera Los Pelambres, one of the largest copper deposits in Chile, incorporating around 1,200 Mt of additional reserves to the 2,100 Mt already environmentally approved.
The materialisation of the Minera Los Pelambres Useful Life Extension Project will involve an initial investment of US$2 billion and it is estimated that in its period of greatest construction activity it will generate approximately 4,000 jobs.
Currently, Minera Los Pelambres is building the Operational Adaptation Project (PAO), which among other works considers doubling the capacity of the desalination plant it has in Los Vilos, to produce 800 litres per second of desalinated water. Once the PAO comes into operation, more than 90% of the water used by the operation will be recirculated or desalinated.
With the aim of continuing to operate mainly with sea or recirculated water, the EVU project could progressively enable up to an additional 800 litres per second of desalinated water, if necessary. To do this, it will take advantage of an important part of the infrastructure that is already built in the Los Vilos sector, such as underwater seawater collection works. This reduces potential impacts on its environment and avoids interfering with other activities that take place in the bay.
“We want to continue deepening the water transition that we began this year by becoming the first mining company in the central zone of Chile that uses seawater in its production processes. With the EVU project we are going to ensure the requirements of future operation in a context of climate change, fulfilling our commitment to produce copper basically with seawater or recirculated process water,” explained Alejandro Vásquez, General Manager and Vice President of Operations of Los Pelambres Mining.
As in the other projects that are part of the Los Pelambres Futuro vision, within its voluntary commitments the EVU project considers making part of its seawater extraction capacity available to the community, which could be used by a developed initiative by third parties for human consumption and other uses. In this way, it contributes to facing the drought that affects the province of Choapa and the region of Coquimbo as a result of climate change.
Extending the operations of Minera Los Pelambres beyond 2035 “implies a benefit not only for its shareholders, but also for the province of Choapa, for the region of Coquimbo and the country. In 2023 alone the Company generated taxes of 365 million dollars, today it employs more than 7,700 people, of which more than half live in the Coquimbo region. In addition, it does business with hundreds of small and medium-sized local companies and supports social initiatives defined together with neighboring communities and authorities,” said Alejandro Vásquez.
Minera Los Pelambres today represents 25% of the regional GDP and close to 70% of exports. As a way to reduce its possible effects on the environment, the EVU project will take advantage of the facilities already built at the El Mauro dam to deposit its tailings, without requesting to intervene in new sectors. To do this, it is proposed to increase the maximum height approved in the current plan of the main wall of the dam by approximately 16%.
“For this growth of the El Mauro Dam we have carried out engineering studies and different simulations, with the advice of a panel of international experts, in order to guarantee its safe operation,” explains Vásquez.
Likewise, the EVU Project will not intervene in rock glaciers or high Andean plains located in the surroundings of the site, which is located in the Andes mountain range, more than 3,500 m above sea level.
As part of its environmental commitments to the Coquimbo region, the company currently protects more than 27,000 hectares of wild areas, among which are 4 Nature Sanctuaries (Ramsar Site Laguna Conchalí, Palma Chilena de Monte Aranda , Quebrada Llau-Llau and Cerro Santa Inés). “For every hectare we use in our operations, Minera Los Pelambres protects 6 hectares of wild areas. In this way, we contribute positively to the conservation, knowledge and dissemination of the biodiversity of the central area of Chile,” indicated the Vice President of Operations and General Manager of the Company.
