Copper miner Atalaya Mining says the regional authorities of the Junta de Andalucía have validated the environmental permits for Proyecto Riotinto, ending a legal process that started a year-and-a-half ago.
In September 2018, the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Andalucía ruled in favour of an environmental group against the government of Andalucía (JdA). Atalaya was a co-defendant in the case, which stems from a 2014 legal claim from Ecologistas en Accion (EeA) seeking that the JdA overturn the unified environmental declaration (AAU) that was required for the mining permits for Proyecto Riotinto.
The validation of the AAU is a required step towards the automatic revalidation of the mining permit for Proyecto Riotinto.
Atalaya has achieved the planned 15-million-ton-a-year throughput rate for the mine during March, following an expansion from the previous 9.5-million-ton-a-year rate.