Challenger Gold’s Executive Director, Sonia Delgado, provided details about the start of ore transport from Ullum to the Casposo plant in Calingasta, marking the start-up of the first gold mine in San Juan in 17 years. The operation is being carried out under a controlled logistics scheme and with the participation of companies from San Juan.
Processing will extend for three years and will allow the generation of cash flow to move forward with a larger-scale project in Hualilán.
By Panorama Minero
San Juan’s mining sector once again wrote a key page in its productive history with the beginning of ore transport from the Hualilán project to the Casposo processing plant, in Calingasta. After 17 years without the start-up of a new mine in the province, the dispatch of the first truck marked a milestone that was accompanied by expectations, applause, and a strong institutional presence.
After several months of work, focused on dialogue with communities and on operational planning, the company managed to complete the first shipment of ore from Ullum to the plant located in Casposo. The movement not only implied the fulfillment of a technical objective, but also the formal beginning of gold production at Hualilán, a project that once again positions San Juan on the gold map alongside precedents such as Veladero, Gualcamayo, and Casposo itself.
The Hualilán team together with the truck, prior to its departure to the department of Calingasta.
The transportation scheme is being carried out under a schedule previously agreed upon with the province’s Ministry of Mining. The plan contemplates a specific transit system, with load controls, permanent monitoring, and logistics traceability at each stage of the route, with the objective of guaranteeing safety and predictability conditions.
From Challenger Gold’s executive leadership, Sonia Delgado highlighted that this step represents the effective beginning of production and a fact of historical relevance for the province. In her analysis, the departure of the first truck symbolizes the start of a new stage for San Juan, which once again sets a gold mine in motion after almost two decades, consolidating the technical, social, and business effort deployed during recent years.
Processing at Casposo and generation of cash flow
Hualilán ore will be processed for a period of three years at the Casposo plant. This stage will allow the generation of cash flow that will be allocated to the construction of an independent and larger-scale project at Hualilán, planned as the company’s definitive development in the province.
According to the executive, the immediate objective is to move forward toward the first doré metal pour, an event scheduled for the coming months that will represent the formal step from the transport and processing phase toward obtaining the final product.
Local logistics and awarded contracts
In logistics matters, the company has already defined the operational structure for ore transport. After an evaluation process, contracts were awarded to three companies from San Juan: MTZ S.R.L., Terra Logística S.A., and Mi Viejo S.R.L., which will work in a coordinated manner over the next three years.
This operation constitutes one of the main logistical activities of the project in its initial productive stage. In parallel, and in compliance with commitments assumed with the community, the company is advancing together with provincial and municipal authorities in the construction of a Bailey bridge, a key work that will allow traffic to be diverted before Villa de Calingasta and not enter populated areas, which will require an approximate investment of $725 million. This diversion of mining trucks is something requested by the communities of Calingasta.
The moment when the truck that will later travel to the processing plant in Casposo is loaded.
Impact on the value chain and regional development
From the company, they indicated that joint work with supplier chambers and municipalities aims to strengthen the value chain in Ullum and Calingasta. The focus is placed on expanding opportunities for local companies, consolidating a productive network that accompanies the project’s growth.
The beginning of processing at Casposo not only energizes mining activity, but also generates demand in complementary sectors. The operation will involve lodging and gastronomy services for transport drivers, fuel supply, and other provisions, which will be covered by suppliers from the department, expanding the economic impact beyond the strictly productive sphere.
