Marimaca Copper says panel upheld CEN approval of application to connect to 110 kV line
Marimaca's Oct. 1 update names no supplier, contracted volume or energization date for its preliminary five-year power framework.
Ines Halvorsen
On Sept. 22, Chile's Panel of Experts upheld the National Electric Coordinator's approval of an application to connect to the 110-kilovolt El Lince line, Marimaca Copper Corp. TSEMARI ASXMC2 said on Thursday. The preliminary power framework points to an all-in cost near the US$93 per megawatt-hour assumption in Marimaca's 2025 feasibility study, according to its Oct. 1 release. Marimaca signed a preliminary five-year framework with a Chilean energy provider that its Oct. 1 release did not name.
The initial term starts after construction and ramp-up, with no take-or-pay obligation during ramp-up. The line is about 13 kilometres from the MOD Project Area, according to Marimaca's Oct. 1 release. The Oct. 1 update gives no contracted megawatt capacity, energy volume, final tariff or date for energization.
Marimaca is developing a proposed copper-cathode operation in Chile's Antofagasta region. Its project overview says the 2025 feasibility study is complete and the company is moving toward a final investment decision. The panel upheld CEN's approval of the application to connect, while the signed electricity supply document remains a preliminary framework.
"Access-road upgrades are advancing, early-works packages are out for tender, key permits remain on track and detailed engineering is progressing well," Marimaca chief executive Hayden Locke said in the release.
Marimaca Expects More Permits in Early October
Marimaca's project page says it received formal environmental approval, known as the Resolución de Calificación Ambiental, in November 2025. Further sectoral permits are still needed for full construction, and the company said in its Oct. 1 update that it expects additional key approvals in early October.
Upgrades to the access road off Ruta B-12 are expected to finish by the end of 2026. Site early works are planned for the fourth quarter, with contractor packages out for tender to establish facilities, roads and utilities before full construction. Marimaca also plans preparatory work on a seawater pipeline route to allow construction to begin in 2027.
The company expects to award major crushing, heap-leaching and solvent-extraction engineering and procurement packages in the first half of 2027. Its Oct. 1 release gives no equipment delivery lead time, grid commissioning schedule or date for a final electricity supply contract.
Marimaca has also begun a conceptual study under a non-binding agreement with a local acid producer. That work will test whether the Dos Amigos Acid Plant could supply the proposed mine and reduce its exposure to sulphuric acid prices; the release does not announce a binding acid supply contract.
Capstone Copper Corp. TSECS ASXCSC said in a July 31, 2024 release announcing an updated feasibility study that it intended to enter into a long-term power purchase agreement for Santo Domingo in Chile. Capstone said the intended agreement would include a significant renewable component. Marimaca's Oct. 1 release reports a signed preliminary framework but gives no supplier name, contracted volume or delivery date.
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The next disclosed milestone is early October, when Marimaca expects additional permits needed for full construction. Its Oct. 1 release and project overview give no date for a final power contract, grid energization or the investment decision.
