The logo of Canadian mining company Teck Resources Limited is displayed above the booth at the Prospector and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) annual conference on March 7, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo, Licensed Rights Reserved
SANTIAGO, Oct 24 (Reuters) – Canadian mining company TECK Resources (TECKb.TO) has scrapped its previous environmental permit application to expand its plant at Chile’s Quebrada Blanca copper mine and is seeking a new one. It announced Tuesday that it had drafted a version.
Teck said in a statement that the decision to withdraw the original permit application needed to increase grinding capacity at the vast deposit was made following feedback from regulators.
Once a revised application is submitted, the entire regulatory process will take approximately 12 months, Teck added.
Teck plans to open its Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 project, one of the world’s largest untapped copper resources, in far north Chile later this week.
“Teck does not expect a sanction decision to be made on the expansion of the Quebrada Blanca plant before full capacity build-up and evaluation of the existing Quebrada Blanca assets is completed and regulatory approvals are obtained.” said the miner.
Teck holds a 60% stake in Quebrada Blanca, with Sumitomo Metal Mining and Sumitomo Corporation jointly controlling 30%. The remaining 10% stake is held by Chile’s state-owned Enami.
Report by Fabian Cambero.Editing: Sarah Moreland and Anthony Esposito
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