Several Chilean associations filed an appeal over a court decision allowing a Chilean $2.5 billion iron ore project to be evaluated at an environmental regulator, SteelOrbis has learned.
The associations, including an NFO and a fishermen union, appealed to cancel the decision of Chile’s environmental court in Antofagasta, which unanimously voted to allow the Chilean Environment Commission in the Coquimbo region to re-evaluate the Andes Iron-owned Dominga iron ore project.
The regional assessment commission is expected to re-evaluate the Andes Iron’s impact study for its $2.5 billion iron ore project. The project, known as Dominga, has suffered a number of setbacks and is pending court approval.
The $2.5 billion project aims to produce up to 12 million mt of iron ore per year. As previously reported by SteelOrbis, Andes Iron expected to commence construction works in the site this year. Due to a number of setbacks, Andes Iron admitted it would give up a port it expected to develop near the proposed Dominga mine, so it could move on the iron ore project.
Local environmental regulator SEA was the first to reject the project in March 2017. Then, a Coquimbo’s environment commission had also banned it. In August 2017, a minister council kept the project ban. Since then, Andes Iron had been appealing the case.