Colombia Environmental Minister Susana Muhamad said the country could require mining firms to obtain environmental licenses for exploration in order to protect the environment, increase state control and prevent conflict between communities and miners, reported Reuters. Currently, the South American country only requires environmental permissions for projects in the exploitation and production phases. “I think we must put an environmental…
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Escondida goes big, moves to renew entire fleet
BHP, owner of the Escondida copper operation in the Antofagasta region of northern Chile, is collaborating with Caterpillar and Finning International to replace Escondida’s entire haul truck fleet. Under the agreement, which the group jointly confirmed is part of a strategic equipment renewal process developed by Escondida, the mine will take delivery of new Caterpillar 798 AC electric-drive trucks with…
Read MoreCodelco names Sougarret CEO
Chilean copper producer Codelco has named a new CEO: Andre Sougarret. According to a Reuters report citing a company statement, he replaces Octavio Areneda, who is stepping down for personal reasons effective 29 August. Sougarret was most recently vice president for the company’s northern operations. He is currently on medical leave, Reuters noted, so his appointment will be effective once…
Read MoreAnglo American Chile’s Puna resigns
The CEO of Anglo American Chile, Aaron Puna, has resigned from his seat and the operator has temporarily named Patricio Hidalgo as his replacement. According to a Reuters report citing a statement from the company, the resignation comes as Anglo is seeking to reverse a May rejection of an environmental permit for the continued operation of the Los Bronces mine.…
Read MoreCapstone’s Mantos Blancos, Mantoverde join Copper Mark
The Copper Mark initiative has added its two newest operations, Capstone Copper’s Mantos Blancos and Mantoverde operations in Chile. Capstone officials said that now, within one year, both mines will be assessed and independently verified against the Copper Mark’s 32 responsible production criteria, including environmental management, greenhouse gas emissions, human rights, community health, safety and development, and governance. “Our Mantos…
Read MoreNine alive at Colombia gold mine after collapse
Nine miners have been rescued alive from a gold mine in the central Cundinamarca department of Colombia after a collapse on 17 August. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the workers were located and brought to the surface the day after the incident at a pit in El Bosque. All are in good health and receiving medical care, the National Mining…
Read MoreOperator to blame for sinkhole: Chile minister
Chile’s Minister of Mining Marcela Hernando said during the agency’s investigation into a sinkhole that has formed at Lundin Mining’s Chilean unit Ojos del Salado that the event was caused by “overexploitation” and excessive mining at the site. Work is continuing to determine the origin of cracks close to the subsidence and any potential impact to an aquifer near the…
Read MorePermit approved for Hochschild Mara Rosa plant, pre-stripping
Hochschild Mining has confirmed it has been granted a key environmental permit authorization for the construction of a processing plant at its Mara Rosa gold project in the Goiás state, Brazil, along with mine pre-stripping activity. The Goiás state’s environmental authority the State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainable Development (SEMAD)’s permit also allows construction of all the required site…
Read MorePeru launches training workshop for Puno region miners
The Ministry of Energy and Mines in Peru (MINEM) has just commenced its fourth round of face-to-face workshops geared toward its formalized small mining and artisanal mining operators in the Puno region. MINEM said the education is focused on performing sustainable activities and has so far trained 1,057 operators in 10 regions of the country: Madre de Dios, Puno, Arequipa,…
Read MoreWealth Minerals, thyssenkrupp partner on Ollagüe
Canadian-based Wealth Minerals has entered into a strategic partnership with thyssenkrupp Mining Technologies for the development of its Ollagüe Salar lithium exploration project in northern Chile. The first stage of the partnership will entail the identification, evaluation and selection of technology for lithium extraction and purification of Ollagüe. The development of the preliminary flowsheet and layouts, including brine testing and…
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