en.Wedoany.com Reported - Chilean mining company Antofagasta Minerals has announced a $900 million investment to build a wastewater conveyance and pumping system for its Zaldívar copper mine in the Atacama Desert, Antofagasta Region, Chile. The project is scheduled for completion and commissioning in the second quarter of 2028, after which the mine will completely cease using continental freshwater resources and instead use treated municipal wastewater for production, extending the mine's life to 2051.
Located approximately 1,400 kilometers north of Chile's capital Santiago at an altitude of about 3,300 meters, the Zaldívar copper mine is an open-pit heap leach operation that produces copper cathodes through solvent extraction-electrowinning. The mine is a joint venture, with Antofagasta Minerals and Barrick Gold Corporation each holding a 50% interest. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Chile accounts for approximately 27% of global copper supply.
Antofagasta Minerals' investment will build a dedicated wastewater conveyance system to source treated municipal wastewater from a treatment plant operated by Econssa, Chile's state-owned sanitation infrastructure operator, and deliver it to the mine's production process. This system will replace the continental freshwater resources currently used by the mine, completely severing its reliance on regional aquifers. Under Chile's 2022 amendment to the Water Code, water use rights are set for a maximum of 30 years, and regulators have the authority to suspend or revoke rights during water shortages or when rights are not effectively utilized.
The project is expected to create approximately 5,000 jobs during peak construction. Antofagasta Minerals received approval through Chile's Environmental Impact Assessment System in 2025, clearing the regulatory path for the project. The mine's mining rights were originally set to expire in May 2025, but this water system upgrade and mine life extension plan allows operations to continue.
The Zaldívar copper mine produces an average of approximately 140,000 tonnes of copper cathodes annually. This water system conversion project provides a reference pathway for sustainable operations in the Atacama Desert mining region of northern Chile. Net water consumption by the local mining industry reached 18.13 cubic meters per second in 2024, up 2.7% from 2023, making water resource management a key constraint for mining operations in the region.
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