Mina Elena

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Mina Elena is a proposed coal mine located on Riesco Island in Chile. It is a part of Riesco Island project, alongside the proposed Mina Adela, Mina Río Eduardo and Mina Oeste. Mina Invierno was the first part of this project.

Location

The satellite photo below shows the approximate location of the mine. According to a map created by Alerta Isla Riesco, Mina Elena will be located on Riesco Island, near the northern coast to the northwest of Mina Invierno.

Loading map...

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Background

Mina Elena is one of five coal mine sites associated with the "Riesco Island Project" planned by Minera Isla Riesco A Chilean government commission approved the plan for the first of the 5 mines, Mina Invierno in August of 2011.

The Riesco Island Project is a joint project of Empresas Copec (of the Angelini group) and Ultramar (of Von Appen). The project has a 300 million ton reserve. Minera Isla Riesco bought the mining rights of Mina Elena and Río Eduardo for $47m.

There has been no news about the project for four years, and it appears to have been cancelled.

History

According to a United States of America Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines document titled "Coal of Chile," in 1948 Mina Elena was located 36 km west of the Fitzroy channel on Riesco Island. It was owned by the Elena de Rio Verde Coal Company. When it was originally opened in 1926, Mina Elena was one of the southernmost coal mines in the world. 23 people worked on staff at that time.

Conflicts of Interest

Sebastián Piñera was serving his first term as president of Chile when the country approved Minera Isla Riesco. Piñera had a financial interest in the project, the billionaire businessman held 785,609 shares of stock in Copec at the time. Despite the stock being held in a blind trust, the Piñera government's environmental authority's approval of Mina Invierno garnered the president 5 million dollars in profit.

Project Details

• Owner: Minera Isla Riesco
• Parent company: Ultramar and Empresas Copec
• Location: Riesco Island, Chile
• GPS coordinates: -52.712097,-71.842796
• Mine status: Cancelled
• Start year:
• Mineable reserves: 300 million tonnes (across entire Riesco Island Project)
• Coal type:
• Mine size:
• Mine type: Surface
• Production:
• Additional proposed production:
• Equipment:
• Number of employees:

Articles and resources

Related GEM.wiki articles

• Chile and coal