Mining
Sociedad Contractual Mina Carola
Tierra Amarilla, Atacama Region, Chile
2016-2017
Complete development of the Environmental Impact Statement that allowed to increase the capacity of copper ore extraction from 150,000 ton/month to 240,000 ton/month, thus allowing to extend the useful life of "Mina Carola". It should be noted that the mining site is located in an area saturated by particulate matter, a condition that had not been declared by the authority at the time of developing and processing the project, therefore there was no Decontamination Plan that would allow to determine an emission limit, therefore, it required an engineering development that would provide a solution to the increase in atmospheric emissions, thus reducing the projected emission rates and thus prove that the increase in extraction did not generate a risk to the health of the population.
Sociedad Contractual Mina Carola, awarded the preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement of its project “Increase Rate of Extraction Mina Carola”, which involved the execution of environmental characterization studies such as human environment, biotic environment, cultural heritage, noise study, study and modeling of emissions to the atmosphere, among others.
The objective of the project was to obtain the environmental rating that would allow Mina Carola to operate its facilities by increasing the extraction rate established in its mining plan from 150,000 ton/month to 240,000 ton/month, thus increasing its useful life, through strategic advice during the environmental impact assessment process.
Part of the challenges for the team was to design in conjunction with engineering, a solution that would allow the increase in the extraction of material and therefore the increase in machinery and vehicles, not to generate contributions in air emissions, maintaining the current conditions of air quality. In accordance with the above, in a multidisciplinary work with specialists and the Customer, different options were evaluated in the operational facilities, thus accrediting that the project justified that it did not generate risk to the health of the population.
Finally, the project obtained a favorable Environmental Qualification Resolution, which allowed it in this way to develop the subsequent engineering and apply for the sectoral permits that allow it to develop its Project.
