Codelco to invest US$650mn in water management project

Chilean state copper miner Codelco has submitted a US$650mn project to environmental review agency SEA, involving the transport of industrial water from Santiago's metropolitan region to the Andina Division in Valparaíso region.

The focus is on ensuring water availability in an area affected by scarcity. Codelco plans to install a 70km steel pipeline between the Ovejería tailings deposit channel in Til Til and the Andina concentration plant in Los Andes.

The initiative includes three pumping stations, an impulsion pipeline, an electrical substation and three electrical lines of 110kV, 33kV and 13.2kV.

In order to efficiently use water and allow for operational continuity of the mining operation, the construction phase is planned to start in June 2027 and at its peak, 1,650 workers will be employed, Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, said in a statement.

Decarbonization

In line with its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030, Codelco signed an MOU with Japanese companies Toyota and Mitsui on the development and testing of zero- and low-emission vehicles.

In addition to representing an opportunity to incorporate electromobility technologies and advance sustainability, corporate manager of innovation and technology Felipe Lagno highlighted in a statement the importance of collaboration to accelerate changes toward a "mining of the future."

Toyota is a leading carmaker and Mitsui focuses on strategic partnerships, while the MOU is expected to allow Codelco advancing the decarbonization of copper mining at its Chuquicamata, Ministro Hales, Radomiro Tomic, Gabriela Mistral, Salvador, El Teniente and Andina operations.