Chile closes state copper smelter that polluted bay for decades

Chile closes state copper smelter that polluted bay for decades

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile’s state-owned copper mining giant Codelco on Wednesday shut down its Ventanas copper smelter after decades of polluting Quintero Bay with toxic gases and turning it, along with 15 other companies, into what environmentalists called a “sacrifice zone.” Eight years ago, the Chilean government declared that the three municipalities surrounding the bay — Quintero, Puchuncaví, and Concón, located 160 kilometers northwest …

Chile closes state copper smelter that polluted bay for decades

By EVA VERGARA Associated Press SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile’s state-owned copper mining giant Codelco has shut down its Ventanas copper smelter after decades of polluting Quintero Bay with toxic gases and turning it, along with 15 other companies, into an environmental “sacrifice zone.” During a formal ceremony held in Puchuncaví, images of flames from the smelter’s furnace were shown gradually diminishing until they were fully extinguished, ma…

Chile closes state copper smelter that polluted bay for decades

By EVA VERGARA Associated Press SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile’s state-owned copper mining giant Codelco has shut down its Ventanas copper smelter after decades of polluting Quintero Bay with toxic gases and turning it, along with 15 other companies, into an environmental “sacrifice zone.” During a formal ceremony held in Puchuncaví, images of flames from the smelter’s furnace were shown gradually diminishing until they were fully extinguished, ma…

Polluting Chile state-owned copper smelter closes

The Ventanas copper smelter in Chile’s Quintero Bay has been shut down after decades of polluting. (1 June 2023) (AP video: Mauricio Cuevas)

Chile shuts down state-owned copper smelter after decades of pollution

Chile's state-owned copper mining giant Codelco on Wednesday shut down its Ventanas copper smelter after decades of polluting Quintero Bay with toxic gases and turning it, along with 15 other companies, into what environmentalists called a "sacrifice zone." Eight years ago, the Chilean government declared that the three municipalities surrounding the bay — Quintero, Puchuncaví, and Concón, located 160 kilometers northwest of the Chilean capital …

Chile closes state copper smelter that polluted bay for decades

Chile closes state copper smelter that polluted bay for decades Chile's state-owned copper mining giant Codelco on Wednesday shut down its Ventanas copper smelter after decades of polluting Quintero Bay with toxic gases and turning it, along with 15 other companies, into what environmentalists called a ''sacrifice zone.'' Eight years ago, the Chilean government declared that the three municipalities surrounding the bay — Quintero, Puchuncaví, a…