Los Andes Copper Ltd (TSX-V:LA) said it had signed a deal with Desala Petorca SPA to work on water desalinization at its Vizcachitas copper project in Chile.
Los Andes and Desala inked a letter of intent to work on the project option to use desalinated seawater for the project.
In a statement, Vancouver-based Los Andes said the agreement with Desala advances an “important option” for the project, consistent with sustainable mining practices.
READ: Los Andes Copper says drilling can resume at Vizcachitas Copper Project after Chilean court decision
In a wider update, CEO R Michael Jones told shareholders that the company is aiming to have its prefeasibility study done for the large-scale copper project by the end of 2022.
The team is finalizing the updated resource model to include the excellent results obtained so far in the 2022 drill program and complete the required iterations of the open pit mine plan, Los Andes told investors. The potential to use desalinated water would make Vizcachitas a good example of a modern, environmentally responsible large-scale mine, the firm added.
“Advancing the engineering and project development plans to include the potential for collaboration on desalinated water adds an important sustainable option to the project,” CEO Jones said.
“We have the opportunity in the Vizcachitas copper project to design a mine with sustainability as a core principle. The Desala collaboration when constructed can be a potential positive contributor to local water availability for our region."
Los Andes also plans to resume exploration drilling to add to the scale potential of the project outside the current mine plan to be used in the prefeasibility study. It is also working on a local development projects program, with weekly meetings planned across the region.
Vizcachitas is a copper-molybdenum porphyry deposit, located 120 kilometres north of Santiago, Chile.
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