The Minera Valle Central operation processes both fresh tailings from the El Teniente mine and historical tailings from the Cauquenes deposit to produce copper and molybdenum concentrates.
Report context
This technical report, effective February 1, 2022 and issued March 30, 2022, presents the mineral resource estimate and processing information for the Minera Valle Central (MVC) operation located near Rancagua, Region VI, Chile. The report was prepared for Amerigo Resources Ltd. The processing section (Section 13) addresses mineral processing and metallurgical testing, while Section 17 covers recovery methods.
Processing route
El Teniente Fresh Tailings
The MVC plant processes fresh tailings sourced from the El Teniente mine. These tailings are delivered to the MVC plant for processing to recover copper and molybdenum.
Cauquenes Tailings
The Cauquenes tailings deposit represents historical tailings that are also processed at the MVC plant. The deposit has been the subject of multiple drilling campaigns including CIMM 1983, MVC 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021 campaigns.
Cleaner Scavenger Circuit
A cleaner scavenger circuit is part of the plant configuration for recovering additional values from cleaner tailings.
Cascade Plant
The Cascade plant processes material as part of the overall recovery flowsheet.
Molybdenum Plant
The molybdenum plant produces molybdenum concentrate as a separate product stream from the copper recovery circuits.
Final Tailing Thickeners
Final tailing thickeners are used for water recovery and tailings management prior to disposal.
Key reported parameters
| Parameter | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Cauquenes tailings deposit | Resource estimate | February 1, 2022 effective date |
| El Teniente fresh tailings | Processed at MVC plant | Existing operations |
| Cauquenes drilling campaigns | 1983, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 | Historical data |
| Regrind mill sizing study | Orway Mineral Consultants Canada Ltd. – July 2021 | Design study |
| Plant audit | Patterson and Cooke – July 2020 | Testwork |
| Base Metallurgical Laboratories test work | September 2020, May 2021, October 2021 | Testwork |
| MetSim modeling | Plant modeling | Design and optimization |
Technical qualifications
The technical report is subject to the cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements as noted in Section 2.5. The Mineral Resource Estimate for the Cauquenes Tailings Deposit and Colihues Tailings Deposit is presented in Section 14.0, with resource classification applied in Section 14.1.5. The report relies upon multiple qualified persons who conducted personal inspections and prepared specific sections as documented in the Qualified Persons table. Section 17.2 addresses plant optimization, indicating ongoing evaluation of process improvements.
Source: Minera Valle Central Operation, NI 43-101 Technical Report, effective February 1, 2022, issued March 30, 2022, prepared for Amerigo Resources Ltd. Relevant sections: 13.0 Mineral Processing and Metallurgical Testing, 17.0 Recovery Methods, 14.0 Mineral Resource Estimate.
