Chilean copper producer Codelco has decided to terminate an engineering and construction contract with Canada-based SNC-Lavalin and to take over a project at its Chuquicamata smelter to ensure compliance with new environmental regulations in the South American country, it said on Monday March 25.
Codelco is the largest copper producer in the world, and Chuquicamata, in northern Chile, is the largest open-pit copper mine. The Chilean company has alleged that SNC delayed payments to third parties, that its work was behind the agreed timeframe, and that the construction work did not meet the necessary quality standards."The contract involved an approximate sum of $260 million...