The 20,000 tpd project requires a water supply of up to 24 l/s. The Fenix Gold Project has access to water via a contract signed with Nueva Atacama, formerly known as Aguas Chañar S.A., the primary water supplier to the town of Copiapó, to supply up to 20 l/s of treated industrial wastewater from its Piedra Colgada treatment facility located to the north of Copiapo. Additional water requirements will be topped up from the Lince water bore 5 l/s. The original plan, outlined in the 2014 PFS, was to build a pipeline from the Nueva Atacama facilities to Fenix Gold along the existing main road, international road CH-31, from Copiapó to Argentina, which passes within 20 km of the Project, with mains power coming from the Carrera Pinto substation.

This plan is still being considered for the future expansion of the Project and discussions are ongoing with infrastructure companies who are interested and able to finance and build the pipeline and other mining companies who may wish to share in the benefit of the pipeline project. The capital costs, operating costs and cost of water for the larger water solution are set out in the 2014 PFS; updated costs are reported in chapter 24 of the 2023 feasibility study.

The water for the 20,000 tpd project will be transported by 30-tonne capacity water tankers, loading from the Nueva Atacama facility and discharging to the process plant located at the Project, a distance of approximately 158 km. 

Photo: Water loading infrastructure completed at Copiapó,.

Water costs are estimated to be USD 2.30 per tonne of ore processed. The water cost includes the purchase price and transportation of the water to site.

The Company is reviewing several additional water options involving permitted, unused sub-surface water rights that are closer to the planned mining operations with the objective of improving the economics of the water supply to the Project.