Commercial operation of a US$27 million dry-stack tailings system at the Condestable copper mine in Peru is on track to start in the third quarter of this year, according to new owner Rio2.
The Canadian junior said commissioning of an 8400 tonnes-per-day tailings filtration facility was underway at the site, where it aims to produce about 27,000t a year copper-equivalent for at least a further decade. Rio2 announced a circa-$241 million deal to buy Condestable from Peru’s Southern Peaks in December last year and wrapped up the acquisition in January.
Commissioning of the filtration plant is expected to take 10 weeks.
Rio2 said the facility was capable of handling 100% of Condestable’s current tailings output and had been engineered to accommodate potential future production expansions.
Dry tailings will be deposited in an existing permitted impoundment zone until a new area is available. Rio2 said filtration would increase water recovery at Condestable from about 60% to close to 90%.
“This substantial improvement in water recovery provides the capacity for future growth projects without requiring additional water permits or increasing the use of local water resources,” the company said.
“By shifting to a dry-stacking facility, Condestable establishes itself as a best-in-class operation regarding tailings management, materially enhancing safety and environmental standards.
“This investment also aligns with Condestable’s ongoing commitment to its Copper Mark Certification.”
