BASE METALS

Court rules against BHP in Cerro Colorado water case

BHP faces a water setback at its Cerro Colorado copper mine in Chile after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of indigenous communities’ in a complaint related to water use.

 BHP's Cerro Colorado mine in Chile

BHP's Cerro Colorado mine in Chile

The court upheld a complaint filed by the San Isidro de Quipisca Indigenous Agricultural Association against an environmental approval granted in November 2016 and ruled that a routine evaluation of the mine's environmental project, including by a committee of ministers, failed to take into account warnings by locals that its operations were overdrawing water and impacting local wetlands, reported Reuters.

The indigenous group said water pumping to feed Cerro Colorado's operations had almost entirely dried out high-altitude wetlands around its operations.

"Cerro Colorado's environmental operating permit is annulled and, that permit being annulled, the company must stop," said Lorenzo Soto, a lawyer for the indigenous group.

BHP said the mine could continue to operate while it worked to comply with the measures required by the Environmental Court as the Supreme Court did not order it to cease operations.

Cerro Colorado produced 71,700 tonnes of copper cathodes in 2019 and 64,000t in the first 11 months of 2020.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining News Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining News Intelligence team.

editions

MiningNews.net Research Report 2024

Access a multi-pronged tool to identify critical risks and opportunities in Australia’s mining industry.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Investor Sentiment Report 2024

Survey revealing the plans, priorities, and preferences of 120+ mining investors and their expectations for the sector in 2024.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Mining Equities Report 2023

Access an exclusive, inside look on the quarterly mining IPOs and secondary raisings data and mining equities performance tables with an annual Stock Exchange Comparisons supplement.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence World Risk Report 2023 (feat. MineHutte ratings)

A detailed analysis of mining investment risks across 121 jurisdictions globally, built on 11 ‘hard risk’ metrics and an industrywide survey.