Chile to launch public consultation on tailings regulation

Chile’s Mines Minister Aurora Williams announced that the country Chile is launching a public consultation to modify its regulations on the design, construction, operation and closure of tailings facilities in July.

During a presentation at the Sustainable Atacama Seminar, Williams said that while the executive power is in charge of implementing any changes to the decree, citizen participation is a prerequisite to doing so.

In the politician’s view, modifying the decree will allow for the development of a clear procedure regarding what it means to reprocess or transport tailings. These two processes are not duly regulated, she said.

While she acknowledged areas that need improvement, the mining minister applauded the work of the National Geology and Mining Service, Sernageomin, in monitoring active and inactive tailings dams. She pointed out that an observatory is being developed to offer further information on the state of these deposits.

Chile hosts 795 tailings deposits across its territory, 405 of which are in the Coquimbo region and 185 in the Atacama region.