Deep sea mining puts $560 billion in land extraction at risk — report
Even in optimal scenarios, the activity would generate only $6.25 million in tax revenue for countries involved, says Planet Tracker.
An accident still under investigation caused the death of two workers at Anglo American’s Los Bronces mine in Chile’s Metropolitan Region.
According to the National Geology and Mining Service, Sernageomin, the incident took place on Saturday. The two victims, identified as Gerardo Carimán Cruz and Jorge Alberto Navarrete, were employed by sub-contractor company Netaxion and were working on the operation’s communications system. Despite being rushed to the nearest hospital by helicopter, they did not survive.
“For Anglo American, the safety of the people who work at our sites is a priority and we will continue making efforts to promote a safe work environment and a culture of zero harm,” the London-based firm said in a statement made public on social media.
Los Bronces is one of Anglo American’s two largest copper operations. It has been mined for over 150 years and is running out of high-grade ore. However, the miner is developing a $3-billion extension project that seeks to sustain production levels and extend the mine’s life through to 2036.
The site has the capacity to produce over 300,000 tonnes of the red metal each year. The underground deposit is estimated to have a 1.7% copper grade, three times the mine’s open pit grade.
The project is part of Anglo American Sur, owned by Anglo American (50.1%), the Codelco-Mitsui consortium (29.5%) and Mitsubishi (20.4%).
