Andes Steel's US$2.5 billion Dominga copper-iron project in the Coquimbo region of Chile has been approved by the Coquimbo Environment Committee. The committee earlier rejected the proposal, and this time voted in favor of it with an 11:1 vote. The project was approved after its Environmental Impact Study (EIS) was confirmed to meet all legal requirements.

The goal of the Dominga Copper-Iron Project is to extract up to 12 million tons (Mtpa) of iron ore and 150,000 tons (tpa) of copper concentrate per year within the estimated mine life of 22 years. In February 2011, Andes Iron submitted its first environmental impact report for the development of the mine. Due to its proximity to environmentally sensitive areas, Andean Steel had previously been denied a key permit for the project. Subsequently, the company faced legal issues and lengthy environmental assessments for several years.

In April 2021, after the Antofagasta First Environmental Court ordered the Regional Environmental Assessment Committee to review the environmental impact assessment study, the Dominga Copper-Rail Project was back on track. This is after the court ruled that the project fully complies with existing environmental regulations.

Keywords: copper and iron projects, international engineering news, foreign engineering project information

The project plans to develop two open-pit mines in the El Tofo mining area, which is located nearly 16 kilometers northeast of La Higuera in the north-central Coquimbo region. Other features of the Dominga project will be a mineral processing plant, a desalination plant and an associated seaport shipping terminal in Totoralillo Norte.Editor/Baohongying