SNC-Lavalin to work on iron ore project in Chile

SNC-Lavalin has won a contract to provide overall management, detailed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services to Compañía Minera del Pacífico S.A. (CAP Minería) for a thickened mine tailings disposal system at the Cerro Negro Norte iron ore project in Chile. 

The Montreal-based engineering and construction firm’s EPC reimbursable contract is expected to be worth more than US$50 million.

The iron ore project is 60 km north of the City of Copiapó in the Atacama Desert.

The mine is expected to produce 20,000 tonnes of tailings per day.

SNC-Lavalin will treat the tailings with its in-house thickened tailing disposal technology, which allows for the safe storage of the tailings and the recovery of 98 per cent of the water.

The engineering phase of the project has been completed through SNC-Lavalin’s Santiago office and is expected to start infrastructure construction activities in October 2012. The mechanical completion of the project is expected to occur by Q3 2013.

Source: SNC-Lavalin.