The Diplomat
Acciona has been awarded a contract by Codelco, Chile’s state mining company, to execute the ninth stage of the expansion of the Talabre mine tailings deposit (waste), located in the Chuquicamata division (Atacama), for a total investment of 244 million euros.
The project, whose objective is to increase the storage capacity of the deposit, contemplates the execution of various civil works that will allow, in a first stage, to increase the height of five perimeter walls to 2,500 metres above sea level and, in a second stage, to raise the north wall to 2,503 metres.
The execution of all these initiatives will involve the movement of 9.7 million cubic metres of compacted fill and the excavation of more than two million cubic metres of earth, the Spanish company said in a statement.
In addition, the contract includes the execution of various ancillary works, such as the installation of 30 kilometres of medium-voltage power lines, pumping stations and water collection and recirculation systems, among others.
Acciona will carry out all these works over the next three years, a period in which it expects to create around 1,000 jobs.
Acciona is also currently working for Codelco on the construction of the 3,336-metre-long air extraction and injection tunnels to provide ventilation for the Chuquicamata underground mine.
The company is also working on the mining development of the macro-blocks of the Mina Chuquicamata Subterránea project (PMCHS), which consists of the construction of more than 30 kilometres of tunnels and annexed works that will allow Codelco to mine underground for the next 50 years.
On the other hand, the company is carrying out the seventh stage of the expansion of the Carén reservoir, awarded by Codelco’s El Teniente division.
Finally, in Rajo Inca, Acciona is building the Pampa Austral tailings deposit, which includes various construction, assembly and infrastructure improvement works, and is part of the expansion process promoted by the Chilean state-owned company to give operational continuity to the Salvador division, in the Atacama region.
