OHLA is expanding its portfolio in Chile with its participation in a 50 million euro contract for the raising of dikes and berms that make up the tailings dam for the Spence tailings deposit in the Antofagasta Region, in the Atacama Desert. This project, which is part of the new expansion phase of the deposit, is developed in consortium with the companies Besalco and Valko, and will complete other activities previously carried out at the facilities, owned by BHP, the world’s largest mining company.

The mine is located at 1,750 meters above sea level and produces fine copper cathodes through a leaching, solvent extraction, and electrowinning process.

The company carries out earth-moving works, civil and extractive works for about 1.8 million m³ of quarry exploitation, transportation and placement of rockfill for the dam, transportation, placement, and compaction of common fill in berms.

The works required for this growth of the deposit include the superelevation of the main wall, the extension of the northeast starting wall, the works for the development of the northwest and northeast sand walls, the protection dike and temporary parapet, the south and north platforms and piping for sands and tailings, the drive system, water, sands and tailings additional to the SGO and the north borrow and west quarry areas.

This initiative joins others developed by OHLA in the country’s mining sector, such as the development of a copper treatment plant and the maintenance of the roasting complex, both for the Ministro Hales Division; the expansion project of Tranque Talabre, a tailings dam located in Calama; or the work achieved in the world’s largest subway copper deposit, the El Teniente mine. The company has also carried out crushing and transport of rhyolite at the Minera Escondida plant, near Antofagasta, as well as important hydraulic works such as the Chacrillas reservoir in San Felipe.