Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
Issue link: https://emj.epubxp.com/i/342236
JULY 2014 • E&MJ; 43 www.e-mj.com PA M PA C A M A R O N E S um-size bulldozer and front-end loader, which is used to prepare the face and maintain the dump area. A motor grad- er maintains the haul roads. One small- er excavator is equipped with a 2,000- kg hammer to perform secondary reduc- tion after blasting. The mine also has access to a 25-m 3 -capacity water truck to control dust on the haul roads. Haul trucks transport ore directly from the mine to stockpiles where it is fed to a crushing plant. "The SX-EW plant is property of Pampa Camarones, and ini- tially, it will be fed with ore coming from the Salamanqueja mine, and we will also process ores on a toll basis from other ENAMI facilities located in the zone," Velasco said. "Further, we are also think- ing about bringing in supplies from other national and/or foreign mines. "The vein in the Salamanqueja mine and the Chacota vein form the two core deposits of the project and both of them have oxide on their surface areas," Velasco said. "The oxide reach- es the first 250 m (between elevations 860 and 620). In the lower portion of the veins, there are mixed ores with interesting contents of sulphides, which we are not planning to mine yet. "The Salamanqueja vein spreads across approximately 4 km and we are planning to focus the production on the center part, which is around 1 km," Velasco said. As for the relationship between Pampa Camarones and Samsung, Velasco explained that this is in fact the first involvement of Samsung C&T; in the copper production business in Chile, and they are also one of the main shareholders of the company. They will consume all the cathodes that are pro- duced in the plant. The shipments will be dispatched through the port of Arica every 15 days or monthly. The distance between the Pampa Camarones cathode plant and the port is around 90 km. A Regional Milestone Velasco emphasized the fact that Pampa Camarones is the first copper project of this size to be developed in the Arica-Parinacota Region. To date, the owners have invested more than $3 million exclusively for the geologic exploration of part of this district, and in the future it intends to extend its search for more copper oxide and iden- tify the mineralization at greater depth. "For the region of Arica and Parinacota, this is a flagship project, and we have been careful in its execution so that it can be seen as a sustainable project based on our concern for the water, energy, and mainly for the surrounding community," Velasco said. Also, the region is being explored for non-metallic minerals such as boron. The only other significant mining in the region was the Choquelimpie mine, which developed a gold-copper orebody in the Andes Mountains near the Chungará Lake. That mine, however, was closed years ago due to environ- mental issues. "What is remarkable about Pampa Camarones is that the whole operation has been designed as a project that looks for sustainability, and that is something that makes a difference when compared with other mining ven- tures that have been executed in the region," Velasco said. The Water Challenge Pampa Camarones has implemented a proprietary seawater intake and desali- nating system. "Being aware that any current mining projects should aim at sustainability and despite the high costs, we decided to use seawater for our overall production process," Velasco said. "At first, we were offered water rights, which would have been more convenient from an economic stand- point. We assessed the situation and picked the most sustainable option." The pumping station for the seawa- ter system is located at Punta Madrid. "It was not selected at random," Velasco said. "We also analyzed other options such as Caleta Camarones and Caleta Vítor. Ultimately, we preferred Punta Madrid. Although it was more expensive and complex from an engi- neering perspective, there would be fewer impacts to archeological areas and tourist sites." The seawater intake and pumping system was an engineering challenge for Minera Pampa Camarones. The 6-in. pipeline rises from the intake facility through a very tight crag at 1,022 m Felipe Velasco, general manager, Pampa Camarones. Construction of the Pampa Camarones project begins. EMJ_pg42-49_EMJ_pg42-49 7/2/14 4:59 PM Page 43