SANTIAGO (Reuters)

Chile’s environmental regulator announced on Thursday that it has filed two charges against state copper giant Codelco regarding the management of its Talabre tailings dam at the Ministro Hales division in northern Chile.

Charges Filed

The charges concern:
1. Lack of a contingency plan to prevent impacts on underground water.
2. Incorrect deposit of tailings materials from 2017.

As the world’s largest copper miner, Codelco is allotted ten days to present a compliance plan, followed by an additional five days to appeal, with potential fines of approximately 8 billion pesos (about $8.71 million).

Importance of Tailings Dams

Tailings dams are embankments created near mines to contain waste in liquid or solid form. They are regulated under strict environmental standards to prevent collapses and contamination of nearby communities and natural resources.

Company Response

Codelco, which is investing in electric buses, cactus nurseries, and recycling in an effort to reduce environmental impacts, stated it would promptly address the issues raised.

“We completely understand the concern this situation causes, and we will be exhaustive in detailing the plans we have developed and will deploy to comply with our obligations,” Codelco said in response to Reuters inquiries.

Codelco aims to rectify any identified shortcomings as soon as possible.

Regulatory Details

The Superintendency of the Environment (SMA) identified the charges as “serious,” categorized as the second of three levels of offenses. These charges originated from a citizen complaint last year about potential seepage from the tailings dam since 2019 that may affect the Rio Loa aquifer, impacting the city of Calama and the Yalquincha aquifer.

The Talabre dam processes mining waste from Codelco’s Ministro Hales, Chuquicamata, and Radomiro Tomic divisions. The SMA last inspected the site in 2017 and conducted further analysis last year, leading to the charges based on failure to enact environmental measures regarding the Talabre dam.

Last year, Codelco also requested an environmental permit to extend the useful life of its Ministro Hales mine for another 30 years with a $2.5 billion investment.

($1 = 918.3200 Chilean pesos)