| Work Detail |
The "Penco Module" project, currently undergoing environmental evaluation, contemplates an investment of 130 million dollars.
The Canadian multinational Aclara is developing the Penco Module project in Chile, currently under environmental evaluation, which contemplates an investment of 130 million US dollars and is focused on the production of rare earth minerals, a group of 17 elements used in the manufacture of high-performance permanent magnets that are key to the production of electric cars, wind turbines and other technologies for daily use.
The company recently produced the first sample of high purity Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREE) concentrate after a start-up period in which all equipment was tested with clays from the Penco Module, one of two that will have the project.
The processing plant will have the capacity to continuously process up to 320 t/h of clays and its operation is contemplated 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is estimated that annual processing will not exceed 2.8 million wet tons (Mt).
For this, the promoter developed a unique process in the world called "Circular Harvesting of Minerals", which will allow its processing without using explosives, crushing or grinding; it will operate entirely with recycled water from treated domestic water; recirculating up to 95% of this water and 99% of its main reagent (a fertilizer); without radioactivity and without liquid industrial waste.
The project contemplates an exploitation period of 17 years preliminarily (after obtaining the RCA and the corresponding permits) between the years 2024 and 2042, which include the construction, operation and closure phases. |
