Codelco halts Andina Mine as tailings spill threatens river
2026-11-06 11:18:42 [Print]
Chile's state-owned copper producer Codelco has suspended processing operations at its Andina division following a tailings spill that may have reached the Blanco River in the central Valparaiso region, prompting precautionary measures to protect drinking water supplies.
The company said Thursday that an obstruction was detected early in the morning in its tailings transport system near the Rapido RV4 sector, within the mountainous Rio Blanco canyon. Codelco said an object may have fallen into the channel, causing a partial release of tailings that could have entered the river.
The measures included shutting down the concentrator plant, suspending tailings transport, diverting water to the Piuquenitos reservoir and conducting continuous river monitoring and water quality analyses.
Andina, one of Codelco's major copper operations, combines underground mining at Rio Blanco with open-pit mining at Sur Sur - also known as the South pit - to produce copper and molybdenum. The company has not indicated when processing operations might resume.
The spill came on the same day Codelco disclosed that artificially inflated production figures in its reports amounted to 42,100 tonnes of copper.
The company said Thursday that an obstruction was detected early in the morning in its tailings transport system near the Rapido RV4 sector, within the mountainous Rio Blanco canyon. Codelco said an object may have fallen into the channel, causing a partial release of tailings that could have entered the river.
The measures included shutting down the concentrator plant, suspending tailings transport, diverting water to the Piuquenitos reservoir and conducting continuous river monitoring and water quality analyses.
Andina, one of Codelco's major copper operations, combines underground mining at Rio Blanco with open-pit mining at Sur Sur - also known as the South pit - to produce copper and molybdenum. The company has not indicated when processing operations might resume.
The spill came on the same day Codelco disclosed that artificially inflated production figures in its reports amounted to 42,100 tonnes of copper.
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