Candelaria mine

Candelaria mine

Location
Candelaria mine Show map of Atacama Region Candelaria mine Show map of Chile
Location	Tierra Amarilla
Region	Atacama Region
Country	Chile
Coordinates	27°27′53″S70°16′31″W / 27.4646°S 70.2752°W / -27.4646; -70.2752
Production
Products	Copper, gold, silver as concentrate [1]
Production	151,719 tonnes copper 91,000 ounces gold
Financial year	2021
History
Discovered	1987 (Phelps Dodge)
Opened	1995
Owner
Company	Lundin Mining (80%) Sumitomo Group (20%)

The Candelaria mine is a large open pit and underground copper-gold mine located in northern Chile in the Atacama Region. Candelaria has Proven and Probable Reserves of 676 million tonnes of ore grading 0.53% copper, 0.13 g/t gold, and 1.79 g/t silver; containing 3.58 million tonnes of copper, 3.0 million oz of gold and 39 million oz of silver. ^[2] The mine project incorporates a reverse osmosis plant at the port of Caldera, commissioned in 2013, with a capacity to produce 500 litres per second of desalinated industrial water, piping it 115 km from the Pacific Ocean to the minesite. ^{[3] [4]}

The project was operated since discovery in 1987 by Phelps Dodge Corporation, which was taken over by Freeport-McMoRan in 2007. Lundin Mining bought out Freeport's 80% stake in 2014. ^{[5] [6]}

Its tailings are processed in Planta Magnetita, located inmediately west of the mine pit, for the recovery of iron. ^[7]

Environmental issues

Candelaria mine has some serious environmental and social issues. On June 12 2019, people in Villa Estadio, a nearby community, have raised safety concerns, especially for children and older people. According to OECD Watch, residents in Villa Estadio have reported property damage, illegal waste disposal, and health problems caused by the mine's activities and possible violations. ^[8]

In 2021, the country's environmental authorities took action against the mine because its blasting increased air pollution, which could harm the health of nearby residents. The mine's activities raised a lot of concerns about air quality and possible respiratory issues, according to Reuters. These problems added up have caused frustration and led to protests from the local communities. ^[9]

These ongoing issues have caused growing frustration in the nearby community, and local people are demanding stricter environmental rules and emission regulations. These problems are complicated, telling how mining activities can inevitably affect the local environment and the health of nearby residents. Even though the Candelaria mine is important for Chile's economy since it brings large economic benefits to the country, its negative effects on local communities have led to calls for more responsible mining practices and greater transparency to reduce environmental injustice and social issues.

References

1. "Distrito Candelaria". Consejo Minero (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-07-17.
2. "Prospectus" (PDF). Toronto, Ontario: Lundin Mining Corporation. 24 March 2022. p. 70. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
3. "Seawater Reverse Osmosis Services". Digiscend.com. 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
4. "Candelaria Mining Complex Site Visit" (PDF). Toronto, Ontario: Lundin Mining Corporation. 12 September 2018. p. 5. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
5. "Prospectus" (PDF). Toronto, Ontario: Lundin Mining Corporation. 24 March 2022. p. 75. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
6. "Lundin buys stake in Chilean mine for $1.8B US - CBC". CBC. 2014-10-07. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
7. "Planta Magnetita". Consejo Minero (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-05-09.
8. "Group of neighbours of Villa Estadio vs. Minera Candelaria-Minera Candelaria's mining activities in Tierra Amarilla, Chile". OECD Watch. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
9. Cambero, Fabian (July 27, 2021). "Chile regulator files charges against Canada's Lundin over blasting".