Codelco receives approval for $1 bln desalination plant around Antofagasta / Chile

(Reuters) – Chile’s state-owned mining company Codelco, the largest copper producer in the world, received environmental approval this week to build a $1 billion desalination plant to supply water to its operations in the country’s northern region. The go-ahead from the Antofagasta region’s environmental regulator will allow the company to expand its Radomiro Tomic mine and advance with an ambitious investment plan in its water-intensive mining operations in one of the driest deserts in the world. (LINK)