State-owned Codelco definitively shuts down controversial smelter on Chilean central coast

The Chilean state Codelcothe world’s largest copper producer, definitively closed a controversial metal smelter on the country’s central coast on Wednesday, plagued by various episodes of contamination.

The mining company decided in June last year to close the facility in the town of Quintero, about 108 kilometers northwest of the capital, after episodes of environmental contamination in the saturated industrial zone where almost two dozen companies operate.

“We are convinced that this cessation of operations also projects us into the future. The transformation of the Ventanas division is clear evidence that this corporation is moving decisively towards a more sustainable mining”, said the president of the board of directors, Máximo Pacheco, during the closing ceremony.

Environmentalists have long characterized Quintero and its surroundings as “sacrifice zone” due to the successive episodes of contamination.

Local communities had protested insistently alleging the increase in episodes of contamination, which have even forced the suspension of classes and generated symptoms of intoxication among the inhabitants.

The closure measure also required the modification of a law that forced the company to melt minerals from the also state-owned enamicoming from small and medium mining, exclusively in Windows.

The mining company had preventively stopped the facility while it processed the entire legal process for its closure and after applying operational adjustments indicated by the environmental regulator.

Although union groups initially opposed the closure, they later reached an agreement with the firm and more than half of the workers took advantage of the voluntary retirement plan offered by the company.

Source: Reuters