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Chile's environmental regulator said Tuesday it had fined Lundin's Caserones copper mine the equivalent of $9 million (~R165 million) for serious water-use violations.
The Superintendency of the Environment (SMA) said that non-compliance affected the quality of surface water and groundwater in the Ramadillas River basin. The SMA said it carried out multiple inspections between 2015 and 2018 after citizen complaints from Colla indigenous communities.
"After an extensive analysis, the SMA concluded in the sanction of two infractions to the RCA of the project, both classified as serious," he added.
Lundin can file an appeal to the SMA within five business days or file a claim to the first environmental court within 15 business days.
At the end of March, Lundin signed an agreement with JX Nippon Mining & Metals for 51% of Lumina Copper, which owns Caserones, for $950 million. JX is a unit of Japanese oil and metals giant Eneos Holdings.
Caserones said it had produced about 125 000 tonnes of copper in 2022.
