LAS PALMERAS MINE

In order to guarantee the supply of coal for the Gecelca 3 Power Plant, GECELCA operates the Las Palmeras coal mine, located in the municipality of Puerto Libertador, Córdoba.

The mine ensures the long-term availability of fuel for electricity generation, contributing to the reliability of service provision, while managing supply and price risks that may arise.

Located 33 kilometers from the GECELCA 3 Power Plant.

The mining title began in June 2008, with plate number JDF – 16002X.

It has an Environmental License approved by CVS and authorization from ANM.

Its approved production is up to 600,000 tons of coal per year.

The exploitation phase runs from June 2019 to June 2038, extendable for an additional 30 years.

MINING OPERATION PROGRESS

The mine will be exploited using the open-pit mining method with the shovel-truck system.

Due to the low resistance of the rocks in the deposit, the use of drilling and blasting with explosives will not be necessary.

OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT

In order to uphold GECELCA’s environmental commitment, various activities have been carried out. Among these, the following stand out:

Its goal is to ensure that the environmental impacts on the fauna component are of the lowest intensity, primarily based on training the operational personnel, and on the scaring, capture, relocation, and monitoring of individuals from wild species whose habitat is disturbed by the mine’s development.

  • It involves the activities carried out to remove the vegetation cover present in the areas to be intervened. This includes clearing herbaceous and shrub species: cutting, piling, collecting, transporting, and chipping shrub waste.
  • GECELCA carries out forestry compensations for the intervened areas.

Within the activities, the following are included: Location and extension of areas for soil removal, measurement of soil thicknesses, removal of stripping material, and disposal of soil stockpiling area.

Daily humidification of internal roads, soil stockpiling points, waste disposal sites, and access roads to the mine is carried out, according to the local weather conditions.
To monitor particulate matter and assess the control measures established in the mine, GECELCA has an Air Quality Monitoring System (SVCA), consisting of six (6) mobile monitoring stations with autonomous photovoltaic systems, which report real-time data on various parameters. This allows immediate decision-making in case concentration levels increase during operational activities.

  • GECELCA performs periodic monitoring by calculating the decibels received at each of the stations located within the direct influence area of the project.
  • Similarly, the Mining Operator must carry out periodic maintenance (lubrication and synchronization) on all its machinery, according to the manufacturer’s specifications.

  • There is a wastewater treatment system for water from workshops, the coal yard, and offices.
  • GECELCA periodically conducts measurements to characterize the water component in the Las Palmeras Mine.

  • The mine has an Occupational Health and Safety Management System for mining operations, as well as a Biosecurity Protocol established for addressing the sanitary emergency caused by COVID-19. Additionally, the Disaster Risk Management Plan is being executed.
  • The Las Palmeras mine is certified in Biosecure Operations by ICONTEC.
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