Codelco and Pucobre win environmental approval for Tovaku copper project

Chile's Environmental Assessment Service has granted an environmental qualification resolution to the Tovaku copper project, an 870 million dollar open pit mine in the Antofagasta region planned by Codelco and Pucobre to produce 46,000 tonnes of copper cathodes a year over 21 years.

Why it matters: The approval moves one of Codelco's private partner projects toward a construction start in the second half of 2027, as the state miner weighs wider private participation to fund an investment pipeline it estimates at 34 billion dollars.

Data as of Mining.com report of November 9, 2026, read in full; single source read, with the Northern Miner carrying the same permit news in the feed queue. The resolution is an environmental approval, and the project remains subject to further regulatory requirements before construction. Developing item.

Chile’s Environmental Assessment Service has granted an Environmental Qualification Resolution to the Tovaku copper project in the Antofagasta region, confirming its environmental viability and allowing partners Codelco and Sociedad Punta del Cobre, known as Pucobre, to advance toward construction, Mining.com reported. The 870 million dollar open pit project, spanning the municipalities of Maria Elena and Tocopilla, is held through Minera Puntilla, owned 60 percent by Pucobre and 40 percent by state owned Codelco, and is designed for 46,000 tonnes of copper cathodes a year over a 21 year life using leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027 and take three years, putting first production around 2030 if the remaining permitting, engineering and construction preparation stay on schedule. The plan includes a 193 megawatt photovoltaic park inside the mining area and a 72.5 kilometre seawater pumping system from Tocopilla.

Codelco and Pucobre win environmental approval for Tovaku copper project

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