Potencial de crecimiento

Plant Design

There is an opportunity to optimise plant design by reconfiguring the infrastructure layout to better align with the natural terraces of the topography. This approach could reduce the need for elevated platforms and reduce earthmoving requirements, thereby lowering construction capital

COARSE PARTICLE FLOTATION

The application of coarse particle flotation (CPF) could be tested to potentially improve operating costs through reducing the need for excessive grinding and lowering reagent consumption. CFP could also benefit tails thickening by generating coarser, faster-settling tailings, leading to greater thickener efficiency, and improved water recovery.

Recovery of By-product Metals from Leaching

Testwork indicates that the high chloride and strong acid basis adopted for leaching may recover, in addition to copper, metals such as gold, silver, molybdenum and cobalt. Opportunities for recovering low levels of these metals from leach liquors are being explored.

RopeCon Design Optimisations

The PFS included a design where the RopeCon passed overhead of the Pan American Highway, achieving the required vertical clearances from the highway and from regional powerlines.

An alternative design procured by Hot Chili includes an underpass model via a tunnel. The PFS included a trade off study where the tunnel was sized for mining fleet, and ongoing works include revisiting this trade off study for a reduced tunnel profile.

Tailings Storage Facilities

The PFS delivered a combination of conventional valley hosted tailings storage, along with in-pit deposition for a combined 500Mt capacity. This design capacity is adequate for the PFS, however would not account for growth during the life of the Project. The dam break assessment returned a classification of "Extreme" due to proximity to Vallenar. Ongoing works include the review of additional or alternative tailings storage facilities that may allow for increased capacity and reduced risk.

Automation

The integration of autonomous mining equipment (trucks, drills, and loaders) could boost operational efficiency by enabling 24/7 operations. Automation also reduces the need for human intervention, minimising safety risks.

Electrification

The implementation of an electric-powered mining fleet would reduce fuel costs and carbon emissions, improving the Projects sustainability and cost-efficiency. For the underground block cave operations, electrification would lower heat generation and significantly decrease exhaust emissions, reducing ventilation requirements. With abundant solar energy resources available in the Atacama region of Chile, electrification could present significant benefit to the Costa Fuego Project.