Los Andes Copper Ltd (TSX-V:LA) announced that it has appointed ERM to conduct a strategic analysis of the licensing process for its Vizcachitas Project in Chile and to define the required baseline studies.
The company noted that ERM is a leading global, full-service, sustainability consulting firm and has been operating in Latin America since the 1990s. The firm has seven offices in the region, and more than 160 offices globally. In Chile specifically, ERM has worked with a number of major mining companies including Anglo American, Teck, SQM, Glencore and Albermarle.
"With a forecast copper deficit looming it is important that advanced stage projects like Vizcachitas come onstream as targeted to meet the demand driven by the energy transition,” Los Andes CEO Santiago Montt commented in a statement.
“The work ERM are doing will allow us to ensure that everything is in place to navigate the permitting process in a timely fashion and ensure that the project remains on track to meet the timeline for construction and production.”
The company said the final strategy for the licensing process and baseline studies is expected to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2023.
Los Andes Copper is focused on progressing Vizcachitas, which is located along one of Chile's most prolific copper belts. Vizcachitas is one of the largest copper deposits in the Americas not controlled by the majors and the company believes it will be Chile's next major copper mine.
The project is a copper-molybdenum porphyry deposit, located 150 kilometers north of Santiago, in an area with very good infrastructure.
~updated with project details ~
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com