El Alto is Wheaton's name for the former Pascua-Lama project, which Barrick now also refers to as El Alto-Lama. It is a 100%-Barrick-owned, cross-border gold-silver deposit in Chile's Atacama Region and Argentina's San Juan Province. Wheaton holds a life-of-mine stream over 25% of payable silver production but has no disclosed equity ownership. Construction was suspended in 2013, the Chilean Pascua facilities have been in a formal closure process since 2020, and Barrick classifies the broader deposit as undeveloped long-term greenfield optionality. Barrick continues to report substantial mineral resources, but neither Barrick nor Wheaton has disclosed a current development schedule or current after-tax economic case. The historical 2009 feasibility design contemplated open-pit mining and treatment of non-refractory and refractory ore through washing, cyanide leaching, flotation and Merrill-Crowe recovery; that design is no longer a current execution plan.
- Country
- Chile / Argentina
- Commodity
- Au
- Stage
- Exploration