The Norte Abierto mining project , a joint venture between Barrick and Newmont in equal parts, is promoting a new initiative that was recently submitted to the Environmental Assessment Service (SEA). This is the ” Mining Prospecting Sector Casale ” project, which estimates an investment of US$52 million .
The mining initiative aims to enable 63 platforms for the drilling of 101 mining wells, with the aim of obtaining additional geological information.
The Norte Abierto mining project , a joint venture between Barrick and Newmont in equal parts, is promoting a new initiative that was recently submitted to the Environmental Assessment Service (SEA). This is the ” Mining Prospecting Sector Casale ” project, which estimates an investment of US$52 million .
The project consists of the execution of a mining prospecting program, the objective of which is to obtain complementary geological information in an area previously intervened by explorations and drilling, and the preliminary evaluation of the in situ resources present in the sector, which corresponds to the mining property of Norte Abierto SpA.
To achieve the project objective, which contemplates a project lifespan of 24 months, the following works and/or activities are considered :
- Enabling of 63 platforms (35 new platforms and 28 existing from previous campaigns) for drilling 101 mining wells.
- Enabling access tracks to work areas in the drilling sector.
- Installation of 7 warehouses in the Casale camp area, which will be used as witness libraries.
- For the industrial water supply of the project, water transport by tanker trucks is considered from the collection point with rights granted to Norte Abierto in Río La Gallina.
According to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the project is located in the Atacama region, in the province of Copiapó and in the commune of Tierra Amarilla , between 3,750 and 4,450 meters above sea level, approximately 177 km southeast of the city of Copiapó. The effective surface area to be worked on with new and existing works of the project is 23 hectares .
About the project
Proven and probable gold reserves of 23.2 million ounces on a 100% basis and measured and indicated resources of another 26.6 million ounces .
Proven and probable copper reserves of 5.8 billion pounds and measured and indicated resources of 6.7 billion pounds .