pascua
Operator: Barrick
Location: Chile/Argentina
Term of Stream: Life of Mine
Stream Parameters: 25% of silver production
Upfront Consideration: US$252M1
Stream: Silver
Primary Metal: Gold

Project Overview

The Pascua-Lama project is located on the border of Chile and Argentina, in the Frontera district, approximately 10 kilometres from Barrick’s Veladero mine. The Chilean part of the deposit is at an elevation of approximately 4,300 to 5,250 metres above sea level. The Pascua-Lama project is entitled to the benefits of cross-border mining operations that are granted by a mining treaty between Chile and Argentina. The Pascua-Lama project is designed as a large-scale open pit operation with processing facilities having an initial designed throughput capacity of 45,000 tonnes per day.

Construction on the Pascua-Lama project began in October 2009. During the fourth quarter of 2013, Barrick announced the temporary suspension of construction. Barrick had previously suspended construction activities on the Chilean side of the project as a result of the issuance of a preliminary injunction. The ramp-down was completed in mid-2014. In late 2015, a temporary suspension plan for Pascua-Lama was approved by the mining authorities in Chile and Argentina.

Barrick will continue to evaluate opportunities to de-risk the project while maintaining Pascua-Lama as an option for development in the future if economics improve, and related risks can be mitigated. In February 2019, Barrick indicated that the company remains focused on resolving the legal and environmental issues around the project and in addition to the ongoing remediation work, it had embarked on a technical review of the project parameters and potential. As part of this work, it has conducted extensive geochemical and geohydrological studies for a water management plan which it was confident would be acceptable to the environmental authority.

More Information

For more information about Pascua-Lama, please visit Barrick Gold's website at www.barrick.com.

View Reserves & Resources 

1. The upfront consideration is net of the $373 million cash flows received relative to silver deliveries from the Lagunas Norte, Veladero, and Pierina mines.