Canadian-based Rio2 has marked the start of construction at its Fenix gold mine in the Maricunga Gold Belt, Atacama Region, Chile.
A ceremony was held 6 February to mark the occasion; the event was attended by the Honorable Aurora Williams Baussa, Minister of Mining; Mario Silva Álvarez, Deputy Governor of Atacama; Jorge Riesco Valdivieso, President of SONAMI (Chilean National Mining Society); representatives of the Colla Indigenous communities; regional ministerial secretaries; representatives of Mining and Industry Guilds and high authorities from InvestChile, CORPROA (The Corporation for the Development of the Atacama Region), and SERNAGEOMIN (National Service of Geology and Mining).
Andrew Cox, Rio2’s President & CEO, spoke to the attendees and unveiled a commemorative plaque at the site.
Construction expected to be completed in November 2025, and first gold production is currently guided for January 2026.
Fenix hosts a measured and indicated mineral resource of 4.8 million ounces of gold.
Source: rio2.com