Dec 22nd Newspaper, Salta: meeting with First QuantumFinally managed to track down the article that was in the Salta Newspaper December 22nd that details the meeting of government officials with First Quantum. I have done a Google translate and then below posted the original article. I'm having trouble with the formating.....sorry.....the spanish version is somewhat below the translation. Overall a very positive article and meeting. Minister Paula Bibini met with executives of the Canadian mining company First Quantum Minerals, who detailed the data collection studies for the preparation of the environmental baseline and the citizen consultation plan. The mining projects in the Puna will give rise to new productive alternatives and will allow the hiring and training of local labor. The Minister of Production, Labor and Sustainable Development, Paula Bibini, met with executives of the company First Quantum and Corriente Argentina SA, operator of the exploration project located in the Puna of Salta, with the objective of becoming familiar with the progress of the Taca Taca project . In addition, the meeting was attended by the general manager of the company First Quantum, Mike Parker, the vice president of Corriente Argentina SA, Carlos Ramos and the mining secretary of Salta, Daniel Blasco. The managers indicated that to date engineering studies have been advanced and several possible sites have been selected for the infrastructure facilities and studies related to the transport of ore and the energy supply will be carried out. They also detailed the work on communication with the populations of the area of influence, which should focus on three locations near the project, being Tolar Grande the nearest town where consultations were held by the inhabitants, who were informed about the operation of the company that has one of its bases in Peru. The Minister considered it essential for the province to contribute to the progress of mining projects in the Puna, which will lead to new productive alternatives and stressed the importance of hiring and training local labor. For his part, Daniel Blasco said that the Mining Secretariat promotes the development of public mining policies focused on increasing the contribution of mining activity and the use of available resources in sustainable conditions valued by the communities. Taca Taca Taca Taca has an estimated investment of more than US $ 3 billion and could produce 244,000 tonnes / year of copper concentrate, 110,000 ounces / year of gold and 4,100 tonnes / year of molybdenum concentrate. The project is located about 35 kilometers to the west of the town of Tolar Grande, in the department of Los Andes and about 100 kilometers in a straight line to the east of the Escondida mine in Chile. La ministra Paula Bibini se reuni con directivos de la minera canadiense First Quantum Minerals, quienes detallaron los estudios de recoleccin de datos para la elaboracin de la lnea de base ambiental y el plan de consulta ciudadana. Los proyectos mineros en la Puna darn lugar a nuevas alternativas productivas y permitirn la contratacin y capacitacin de mano de obra local.
La ministra de Produccin, Trabajo y Desarrollo Sustentable, Paula Bibini, se reuni con directivos de la compaa First Quantum y Corriente Argentina SA, operadora del proyecto de exploracin ubicado en la Puna saltea, con el objetivo de interiorizarse sobre los avances del proyecto Taca Taca.
Adems, 0participaron del encuentro el gerente general de la compaa First Quantum, Mike Parker, el vicepresidente de Corriente Argentina SA, Carlos Ramos y el secretario de Minera de Salta, Daniel Blasco.
Los directivos indicaron que a la fecha se avanz en estudios de ingeniera y se han seleccionado varios sitios posibles para las instalaciones de infraestructura y se realizarn estudios relacionados al transporte de mineral y el suministro de energa.
Adems, detallaron el trabajo en materia de comunicacin con las poblaciones del rea de influencia, que se deber focalizar en tres localidades cercanas al proyecto, siendo Tolar Grande el pueblo ms cercano donde se efectuaron las consultas realizadas por los habitantes, a quienes se les inform sobre la operatividad de la empresa que tiene una de sus bases en Per.
La Ministra consider fundamental para la provincia contribuir con el avance de los proyectos mineros en la Puna, que darn lugar a nuevas alternativas productivas y subray la importancia de la contratacin y capacitacin de mano de obra local.
Por su parte, Daniel Blasco precis que desde la Secretara de Minera se promueve el desarrollo de polticas pblicas de minera enfocadas a incrementar la contribucin de la actividad minera y el aprovechamiento de los recursos disponibles en condiciones sustentables y valoradas por las comunidades.
Taca Taca Taca Taca tiene una inversin estimada en ms de US$ 3000 millones y podra producir 244.000 ton/ao de concentrado de cobre, 110.000 onzas/ao de oro y 4.100 ton/ao de molibdeno concentrado.
El proyecto est ubicado a unos 35 kilmetros hacia el oeste de la localidad de Tolar Grande, en el departamento Los Andes y a unos 100 kilmetros en lnea recta hacia el este de la mina Escondida en Chile.