Environmental certification for Lundin's Candelaria mine
Lundin Mining Corporation is a diversified Canadian base metals mining company with operations and projects in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Portugal, Sweden and the United States of America, primarily producing copper, zinc, gold and nickel. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the extension of operations and mine life for Lundin's Candelaria Copper Mine in Chile 's Atacama region was approved by the Regional Environmental Commission of Atacama ("COEVA") on September 8, 2023, and the company is now expecting to receive certification from the Environmental Assessment Service of the Republic of Chile in October.
Operational enhancements
The Candelaria Optimization and Operational Continuity 2040 EIA considers several enhancements to the current operation that will enable the extension of the mine life to 2040, from 2030 under the previous EIA, and includes various measures that will support sustainable social, economic, and environmental development within the Atacama Region. The EIA was submitted to the authorities in February 2020. Approval represents a key milestone towards successfully extending the operational life, including development of the La Española open pit, as presented in the February 2023 technical report entitled "Technical Report for the Candelaria Copper Mining Complex, Atacama Region, Region III, Chile." This EIA also allows for the potential development of the Candelaria Underground Expansion Project ("CUGEP") not included in the February 2023 technical report.
Peter Rockandel, CEO of Lundin Mining stated, "We are very pleased to announce approval of the Candelaria Optimization and Operational Continuity 2040 EIA. This announcement is the culmination of a comprehensive process and reflects our long-term commitment to our employees, our communities, the region, and the country of Chile. Approval enables the construction of various facilities and initiatives that, together, represents continued investment and local employment. We are excited to continue working together to create a prosperous and sustainable future in the Atacama Region."
Located in Chile’s Atacama Region approximately 650 m above sea level and 20 km south of the city of Copiapó, the Candelaria Copper Mining Complex is easily accessed using the public road system. Copiapó is a modern city with all regular services and a population of approximately 170,000. Employees come primarily from Copiapó and the Atacama region. The regional Atacama airport is serviced by daily commercial flights from Santiago and other destinations.
Copper ore
The Candelaria complex comprises two adjacent copper mining operations, Candelaria and Ojos del Salado.Candelaria is an open pit and underground mining operation providing copper ore to an on-site processing plant with a capacity of approximately 75,000 tonnes per day (tpd). Ojos del Salado comprises two underground mines, Santos and Alcaparrosa. The approximate 3,800 tpd capacity programmable automation control (PAC) processing facility receives ore from the Santos mine, while ore from the Alcaparrosa mine is treated at the Candelaria processing plant. The Candelaria Copper Mining Complex operates with an overall mining rate of approximately 205,000 tpd over the next 23 years including an average of 76,800 tpd of ore sent to the processing plants together with substantial quantities of ore recovered from stockpiles.