El Cristo Mine Exploitation and Treatment Expansion Project up to 15,000 tons/month

Description: El Cristo Mine Exploitation and Treatment Expansion Project up to 15,000 tons/month Mining development projects over 5,000 tons/month The project that is subject to environmental evaluation, called "El Cristo Mine Exploitation and Treatment Expansion Project up to 15,000 tons/month ”, hereinafter the “Project”, comes to modify the existing project “Mina El Cristo 1 al 60”, hereinafter “existing project”, located in Quebrada Pajonales, district of Copiapó, Atacama Region. The existing project since 2007 is not environmentally qualified, as it is not required given its current operating characteristics (extraction of non-metallic minerals - calcium carbonate - in quantities less than 5,000 t/month). However, the existing project has an Exploitation Plan approved by the National Geology and Mining Service for the extraction of less than 5,000 t/month and a Closure Plan, located within the legal framework of small-scale mining (see Annex No. 1 Background of this DIA, Exempt Resolution 100/2017, 520/2017 and 6857, all from SERNAGEOMIN, which approve the Exploitation, Mineral Treatment and Closure Plan Update project, respectively). The Project aims to introduce operational improvements to the facilities, increasing the exploitation and treatment capacity of up to 15,000 t/month of calcium carbonate, adding a dry crushing system to the current process, in addition to the incorporation of a warehouse to store 2,500 tons of calcium oxide (quicklime), calcium hydroxide (hydrated lime) and calcium carbonate and a transfer system enclosure for the dispatch of calcium oxide in bulk bags. Along with the above, the Project contemplates the installation of photovoltaic modules to supply electricity to the Mine facilities.