Chinalco readies over US$350mn additional investments in Peru's Toromocho mine

Peru’s Chinalco, a unit of Aluminum Corp. of China, is preparing additional investments for the recent expansion of its Toromocho copper mine in Junín region.

The company – which also produces zinc and silver – aims to carry out 22 works at Toromocho to guarantee the proper functioning of the mine following the increase in processing capacity from 140,000t/d to 170,000t/d.

Chinalco said in a document sent to environmental certifier Senace that the works require US$357mn and are in addition to the more than US$1.3bn for the expansion.

The report was prepared by consultancy firm Walsh, and the details of the proposed modifications to the environmental impact study can be seen in the Documents box in the top-right corner of the screen.

According to the document, the main modifications are:

• Enlargement of the main tailings deposit (stage 7)
• Construction of a secondary dam
• Construction of two new waste dumps
• Water discharge zone in contact with existing shafts
• New platforms for material storage, maneuvering yard and parking.

In parallel to the 22 modifications, Chinalco is seeking to begin work on 48 components within the detailed plan – previously approved – for Toromocho, given that all of them are located within the approved area of influence.

“All components subject to modification are located within the area of direct environmental influence… the modifications meet the conditions for the issuance of a technical support report. It is concluded that the environmental impacts generated by the modifications are not significant,” the report states.