Officials from Chile’s National Geology and Mining Service agency Sernageomin has ordered the suspension of operations at Lundin Mining’s Minera Ojos del Salado complex after a sinkhole developed at the Alcaparrosa underground copper mine, part of the Candelaria operation. The sinkhole, which has most recently measured 50 meters in diameter and 200 meters deep but appears to be stable, has…
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Metso Outotec to deliver Vertimills to South American project
Metso Outotec has been awarded a contract to deliver sustainable grinding technology to an undisclosed iron ore project producing premium pellet feed in South America. The total value of the order is more than EUR10 million. The OEM said it has been booked in Minerals’ Q2 2022 orders received. Scope of delivery consists of the engineering, manufacturing and supply of…
Read MoreLas Pelambres prepping for desalination plant start
Chilean miner Antofagasta has confirmed it will start operations at its new desalination plant – part of its $2.2 billion expansion of the Los Pelambres complex – this year, as facility construction is 86% complete and marine works are 87% done. The plant at the port of Punta Chungo, Los Vilos, was designed for water management amid an extensive drought…
Read MoreCodelco halts projects after second worker death
Chilean state-owned miner Codelco is putting the brakes on its copper projects after two of its workers were killed in less than a month. According to a Reuters report, the fatalities were reported at the Rajo Inca and Chuquo Subterranea projects. In the former, which occurred on 18 July, a truck driven by a contractor slid off a platform at…
Read MoreAntamina owners seeking 2023 approval for expansion project
Peru’s largest copper operation Antamina is hoping to get the green light for an extension of its mine life to 2036 from environmental authorities by early next year, the company’s chief executive officer has reportedly said. Antamina CEO Victor Gobitz told Reuters that it is hoping to get that approval by early next year for an expansion project it first…
Read MoreKomatsu, Codelco to trial mining tunnel borer in Chile
Komatsu and subsidiary Komatsu Cummins Chile have partnered with Chilean state-owner miner Codelco to trial a new tunnel excavation method for underground hard rock mining using Komatsu’s newly developed Mining Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM). The trail will begin in 2024 at Codelco’s Chuquicamata mine just outside of Calama in northern Chile, a property that is situated at 2,850 metres (9,350…
Read MoreRio Tinto investing US$188M for Alma upgrade project
Rio Tinto said it has earmarked US$188 million to upgrade its Alma smelter in Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec to boost its production by 202,000 tonnes annually. Read full article.
Read MoreAnglo’s Quellaveco marks first copper
Anglo American’s Quellaveco, which is set to increase Peru’s copper production by up to 10% in full operations, has marked the milestone of first copper concentrate production in the Moquegua region. The benchmark comes ahead of the mine’s receipt of its final regulatory clearance for commercial operations to begin. Mine development head Tom McCulley said the achievement was on time…
Read MoreAmerican Lithium starts next phase of Falchani work
Canadian-based American Lithium Corp. has commenced the environmental work required for a pre-feasibility study (PFS) on the Falchani lithium project in southeastern Peru with the initiation of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) with SRK Peru. The EIA process will run in parallel with work to update the company’s existing preliminary economic assessment on Falchani. American Lithium said it believes that…
Read MoreVale makes switch to natural gas for pelletizing
Global miner Vale has entered into a contract to enable the supply of natural gas to its São Luís Plant in Maranhão, Brazil, starting in 2024, as the company attempts to reduce its carbon emissions by 33% by 2030. The plant will use natural gas supplied by Eneva and distributed by local firm Companhia Maranhense de Gás (Gasmar) in its…
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