Glencore targets 2027 environmental filing for El Pachón
Glencore expects to submit the environmental impact assessment for its El Pachón copper-molybdenum project in San Juan, Argentina, in 2027, advancing permitting under the country's RIGI investment regime. El Pachón is a district-scale porphyry with roughly 6 billion tonnes of resources at 0.43% Cu, at the feasibility stage, designed for about 280,000 t/y of copper over a 30-year life with Phase 1 capex of US$8.5–10.5 billion (US$9.5 billion midpoint for the RIGI filing). Glencore pairs it with Agua Rica–MARA in Catamarca to build roughly 1 Mt/y of Argentine copper within 10–15 years, initially about 500,000 t/y. The EIA filing is a pivotal licensing step shaping South America's medium-term concentrate supply.