Unions at Codelco’s Andina mine set to walk off job on Thursday

Vale said risk of a new dam break as a consequence of an unstable embankment at Gongo Soco open pit, in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, are now minimal.

Samples returned values of up to 373 mg/L lithium, and up to 8,001 mg/L potassium.

President and CEO Mark Bristow said the company expected to complete a feasibility study for the project, which could extend the life of the mine into the 2030s.

Codelco Chief Executive Nelson Pizarro said in a presentation on Friday that regulatory hurdles were only adding to problems that have long plagued Chile's mines.

The tremor prompted officials to activate emergency protocols.

Unionized workers rejected on Saturday the miner’s final contract negotiation offer and announced that they will vote on a proposal to go on strike.

The Minas Gerais environment secretary estimated this week that the dam had a 10-15% chance of collapsing.

Workers from the unions involved had rejected last weekend a proposal by the company.

The Canadian miner reported that seven of 23 chip samples returned grades ranging from 155.27g/t gold to 2.94g/t gold.