https://www.miningweekly.com

Chile top court ratifies closure of Canadian-owned Pascua Lama mining project

15th July 2022

By: Reuters

  

Font size: - +

SANTIAGO - Chile's Supreme Court on Thursday ratified the definitive closure of Canada-based Barrick Gold's controversial $8.5-billion Pascua Lama gold and copper mining project, previously ordered to shutter by the country's environmental regulator in 2018.

The Andean site along the border between Chile and Argentina was the subject of an extensive legal dispute, leading the firm to halt operations before opening due to increased costs and criticisms from shareholders.

The court upheld the three charges from the environmental regulator, despite Barrick's allegations the regulator had acted outside of its powers, it said in its ruling.

The country's environmental regulator had said the project damaged native flora and fauna, did not fully monitor melting rates of nearby glaciers and dumped acidic waters into a local river.

Barrick appealed the 2018 ruling, though in 2020 an environmental court affirmed the decision, which included a fine of more than seven-billion pesos ($6.72-million).

Environmental organizations and local communities had strongly opposed the project, located in Chile's Atacama region, on the grounds that it reduced the availability of water in the area and impacted nearby glaciers.

Edited by Reuters

Article Enquiry

Email Article

Save Article

Feedback

To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Latest Multimedia

Photo of Martin Creamer
On-The-Air (03/07/2026)
Updated 1 hour 18 minutes ago By: Martin Creamer

Showroom

ESAB showroom image
ESAB South Africa

ESAB South Arica, the leading supplier of high-end welding and cutting products to the Southern African industrial market is based in...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
ECG Engineering
ECG Engineering

ECG provides specialised electrical engineering services to the Mining, Utilities, Materials Handling and Industrial industries, with extensive and...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Graham Coetzer
Zama Zama: Inside the Illicit Mining Underworld
Updated 5 hours ago
Magazine round up | 03 July 2026
Magazine round up | 03 July 2026
3rd July 2026

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.045 0.069s - 111pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now