Fenix Gold

Client: Rio2 Limited

Atacama, Chile

1. Project Overview

The Fenix Gold Project (the “Project”) is located in the Atacama Region of Chile, within the Province of Copiapó, specifically in the Maricunga Mineral Belt.

From the early stages of the Project, Anddes assumed a strategic role by leading the update of the pre-feasibility study with a clear objective: optimizing the Project’s design and layout to ensure its technical robustness and economic viability.

The comprehensive scope covered all civil, geotechnical, and hydraulic components, including the heap leach pad and associated ponds, waste rock dump, ore stockpiles, internal road network, and main access road. Multiple operational platforms were also engineered, including those for the process plant, maintenance facilities, camp, crusher, and security infrastructure.

Beyond engineering design, Anddes supported the Project through to the construction supervision stage, deploying a multidisciplinary team of specialists.

2. Project Challenges

Each development phase presented significant technical challenges that required experience, adaptability, and strategic coordination.

One of the most demanding challenges arose following submission of the feasibility study, when an unusually high level of detail and rigor was required for hydrological and hydraulic analyses. This requirement was particularly notable given the Project’s location in one of the driest regions in the world.

However, regulatory scrutiny was intensified after an extreme climatic event in 2006, when severe flooding and debris flows impacted the Andean range and the city of Copiapó. As a result, regulatory standards were strengthened for all existing and future projects in the area, including Fenix Gold.

Anddes developed advanced technical studies to demonstrate that, despite the hyper-arid environment, the Project met the highest hydraulic safety standards. Continuous engagement with regulatory authorities—working closely with the Fenix Gold team—was essential to addressing observations and securing Project viability.

Additional challenges included the complete redesign of the main access road, transforming a narrow track into a 10-meter-wide engineered roadway with optimized slope geometry, as well as reconfiguring key components to achieve a reasonable CAPEX from the early stages of development.

3. Our Approach and Solutions

In response to these challenges, Anddes implemented an integrated and strategic engineering approach, mobilizing its full technical capabilities from early-stage studies through construction.

Our role extended beyond conventional design services. We actively supported the Client in addressing regulatory observations—particularly in hydrological and hydraulic disciplines—through the preparation of specialized technical studies that demonstrated compliance and long-term resilience under extreme event scenarios.

Simultaneously, the Project advanced into feasibility-level engineering, where detailed solutions were developed for:

The heap leach pad and associated hydraulic systems
Waste rock dump facilities
Main and internal access roads
Operational platforms (plant, workshops, maintenance areas, camp, crusher, and gatehouses)

Fenix Gold represents one of the few projects in which Anddes has been directly involved in virtually all civil infrastructure components, consolidating a truly integrated management experience.

Each solution—from access road redesign to advanced hydraulic modeling—was developed not only to ensure regulatory compliance, but also to optimize capital investment, enhance operability, and guarantee long-term sustainability.

4. Results

One of the Project’s most significant milestones was the geomembrane deployment for the heap leach facility. Currently, a binational team of specialists from Chile and Peru supervises this construction phase, ensuring that each engineered component is executed with the same technical excellence applied during design.

Fenix Gold represents not only a technical achievement, but also a validation of Anddes’ value proposition: