Los Andes Copper Ltd. Receives Improved Results for Dry Stacked Tailings at the Vizcachitas Project
Los Andes Copper Ltd. Receives Improved
Results for Dry Stacked Tailings at the
Vizcachitas Project
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 30, 2020) - Los Andes Copper Ltd. (TSXV:
LA) ("Los Andes" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received additional positive
results from the ongoing Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") metallurgical testwork. These results show
improved filtration rates for both the fine and coarse fraction tailings compared to the previous testing.
These results reinforce the decision to adopt dry stacked tailings for the Company's Vizcachitas Project
in Chile ("Vizcachitas" or the "Project").
The News Release of October 22, 2020, regarding PFS metallurgical testwork carried out by SGS,
demonstrated that the Vizcachitas tailings are amenable to being filtered and dry-stacked. The same
coarse and fine representative tailings samples were sent to the TAKRAF laboratories, a global leader
in filtration equipment with a strong operational track record, for further settling and filtration
assessments. The TAKRAF testwork tested various different settling and filtration parameters, including
those previously tested. The studies demonstrated that for the coarse fraction vacuum filtration, the rates
improved from 1.9 t/h/m
2
to 3.4 t/h/m
2
when compared to the previous results. For the finer fraction, the
settling velocities improved from 8.4 m/h to 16.0 m/h and the pressure filtration rates improved from 0.6
to 0.7 t/h/m
2
. The expected cake moistures for both filtration technologies are 15%. These improved
results reinforce the previous assessment.
These positive results mean that the Vizcachitas project, processing 110,000 tonnes per day of ore,
would only need to use eleven standard 162 m
2
belt filters and four 2.5 m by 2.5 m pressure filters for the
tailings dewatering operation. Other operations in the world are successfully operating with a similar filter
arrangements.
Tailings filtration reduces water consumption by 50% when compared to thickened tailings disposal
alternatives. Furthermore, filtered tailings can be handled by trucks, conveyors and shovels, eliminating
the need for the construction and operation of a tailings dam. The adoption of this technology puts the
Vizcachitas Project at the forefront of the environmentally responsible practices being adopted for the
future of sustainable mining globally.
Fernando Porcile, Executive Chairman, commented:
"Implementing a dry-stack filtered tailings facility instead of a tailings dam, will significantly diminish the
safety risks to the local population, the environment and our Company."
"The decision to consider this technology at the early stages of the project shows that we are committed
to designing an environmental-friendly operation. The adoption of dry-stack filtered tailings, in addition
with the High-Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGR), will help us to reduce water and energy consumption."
About Los Andes Copper Ltd.
Los Andes Copper Ltd. is a development company with a 100% interest in the Vizcachitas project in
Chile. The Company is focused on progressing the Project, which is located along Chile's most prolific
copper belt, into production.
Vizcachitas is a copper-molybdenum porphyry deposit, located 120 km north of Santiago, in an area of
good infrastructure. The Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA"), delivered in June 2019, highlights
that the Project has a post-tax NPV of USD$1.8 billion and an IRR of 20.77%, based on a USD$3 per
pound copper price. The Project has a Measured Resource of 254.4 million tonnes at a grade of
0.439% copper and an Indicated Resource of approximately 1.03 billion tonnes at a grade of 0.385%
copper. Please refer to the technical report dated June 13, 2019, titled "Preliminary Economic
Assessment of the Vizcachitas Project", prepared by Tetra Tech.
The PEA is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too
speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to
be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.
The Company is currently advancing the PFS of the Project. With the incorporation of a highly
experienced management team, the Project is incorporating changes to position itself on the forefront of
global environmental trends for mining. The conversion to dry-stacked filtered tailings will result in a
substantial reduction in water consumption and will discard the use of tailings dams, thus reducing the
Project's footprint, environmental impact and seismic risks.
Additionally, there is significant exploration upside at Vizcachitas with the potential to increase the
resource base beyond the initial 45-year mine life modelled in the PEA. Part of this upside has been
further delineated in the geological mapping and geophysics work program completed during the 2020
Chilean winter season.
Los Andes Copper Ltd. is listed on the TSX-V under the ticker: LA.
Qualified Persons
Antony Amberg CGeol FGS, the Company's President and CEO and Magin Torres, the Company's
Senior Metallurgist who is a Qualified Person in Extractive Metallurgy under the Chilean Mining
Commission, are the qualified persons who have reviewed and approved the scientific and technical
information contained in this news release.
For more information please contact:
Fernando Porcile, Executive Chairman
Tel: +56 2 2954-0450
Antony J. Amberg, President & CEO
Tel: +56 2 2954-0450
Blytheweigh, Financial PR
Megan Ray
Rachael Brooks
Tel: +44 207 138 3203
E-Mail:
or visit our website at:
www.losandescopper.com
Follow us on Twitter
@LosAndesCopper
Follow us on LinkedIn
Los Andes Copper Ltd
Forward-looking Statements
Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable
Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Forward looking statements look into the
future and provide an opinion as to the effect of certain events and trends on the business. Forward-
looking statements may include words such as "shall", "will", and similar expressions. These forward-
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Actual results may materially differ from expectations if known and unknown risks or uncertainties
affect our business or if our estimates or assumptions prove inaccurate. Factors that could cause
results or events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-
looking statements, include, but are not limited to, risks more fully described in the Company's
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www.sedar.com
.
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Company's expectations as of the date hereof.
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https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/69110