Canadian-based metals miner Capstone Copper has received the Declaración de Impacto Ambiental (DIA) permit for its Mantoverde Optimized (MV-O) project from the Atacama Regional Environmental Assessment Commission.
Capstone owns 70pc of the Mantoverde copper-gold mine located in the Atacama region of Chile. Mantoverde's open pit mining operations currently produce 120,000 tonnes (t) of copper sulfides annually.
The MV-O project is an expansion of Mantoverde's sulfide concentrator, increasing its throughput from 32,000-45,000t/d of ore and extending the mine life from 19 to 25 years.
The expansion project costs about $150mn and is expected to bring on an additional 20,000t/yr of copper.
Since the DIA is the only major permit required for the development and operation of MV-O, Capstone can begin construction immediately after final regulatory approvals.
