Metso tapped to design PSJ Cobre Mendocino plant as Argentina copper project gears up for 2027 build – BNamericas

Insight

PSJ Cobre Mendocino signed a preliminary agreement with Finland’s Metso for the supply of a processing plant that will be one of the core components of the  US$891 million (mn) initiative, which will begin construction in 2027 and start commercial operations in early 2029.

The plant will have a capacity to process up to 42,000 t/d of ore, maintaining the already approved water requirement of 141 l/s, and will be adjusted to the facilities and area already evaluated by the authorities of the province of Mendoza.

The equipment includes technologies that will make it possible to optimize production, including a tailings filtration system that reduces the moisture of the material and then recovers a large part of the water used in processing to reincorporate it into the production circuit. 

The PSJ project, developed by Swiss company Zonda Metals and Argentine company Alberdi Energy, targets an average production of 40,000 t/y of fine copper, with peaks of up to 70,000 t/y, based on a design that includes water efficiency.

“More than 80% of the water used at the plant will be recirculated within the industrial process itself. Added to this is an environmental monitoring system that will make it possible to control the behavior of the water resource during the different stages of operation,” said Fabian Gregorio, CEO of subsidiary Minera San Jorge, to BNamericas.

The signing of the agreement included the participation of executives from PSJ Cobre Mendocino, project investors, and representatives from Metso, which aims to become a strategic supplier.

“This is a significant step forward for PSJ; it strengthens the technical development of the project through the integration of technologies focused on operational efficiency, optimization of water use, and compliance with the highest standards of the mining industry,” said Gregorio in a statement. 

PSJ, located in Uspallata, department of Las Heras, is set to become one of the first operations to export copper from Argentina after the closure of Alumbrera in 2018.

(The original version of this content was written in Spanish)