La Serena, April 16, 2021.  After knowing the ruling issued by the First Environmental Tribunal (1ET), which UNANIMOUSLY resolved that the Dominga mining and port project fully complies with current environmental regulations, besides having presented all the necessary information for its correct environmental evaluation, Andes Iron, owner of the Dominga project, states the following:

* We positively value the ruling issued by the 1ET, jurisdictional body, specialized and independent court called to evaluate, by express mandate of the Honorable Supreme Court, the substantial and background aspects of the technical and environmental evaluation done of the Dominga project by the Environmental Impact Assessment System (EIAS), which administers and coordinates the Environmental Evaluation Service (EES).

* The ruling of the environmental tribunal unequivocally states that the background information presented by the owner of the project is sufficient and complete, and that the Dominga project fully complies with the environmental rules that regulate the legal and technical evaluation of this type of project.

* It is important to point out that each time the Dominga project has been submitted to technical evaluation instances, it has received various favorable pronouncements, as established, first, in the Consolidated Evaluation Report (CER) – which recommended the Regional Commission to approve the Dominga project – as in this new ruling dictated unanimously by the 1ET.

* We trust that this new favorable ruling of one the Republic´s court, will allow us to promptly start the construction phase of this project.  We hope that this can occur the second semester of 2021, after we have complied with the requirements established by the court.  We want to highlight that Dominga is a modern project, designed under the most strict standards recognized worldwide with regards to technology and sustainability with its environment.  In addition, it is a project responsible with the Coquimbo Region and the commune of La Higuera, with whom we have signed a “framework agreement” through which we have compromised a “social royalty” which mandates us to share the benefits with all the residents of the community.  Dominga is a project longed for by the majority of the residents of the region, and especially by those in the commune of La Higuera, in which it will have a very relevant economic and social impact , generating close to 10.000 direct jobs during the construction stage.

* We are convinced that in the 21st century, it is fundamental that the mining projects be carried out with a clear commitment to the preservation of the environment.  This is why, among the measures contemplated in our Environmental Impact Report (EIR) we would like to highlight our commitment to create a Seas Studies Center intended to effectively protect  the marine reserves of the commune of La Higuera.  We call the ORG Océana Chile to join us in this initiative of this study center, the same way Océana in the United States (California) does, in similar instances, that seek to harmonize sustainable development and the proper care of the natural patrimony, based on scientific knowledge.

* As a company we strongly believe that the new mining has to be sustainable (green mining), thus we commit ourselves with at least 30% of the energy that the project will need , to come from renewable resources, hopefully produced in the same commune or region.  In this regard, we also want to participate in the studies that the country is conducting regarding “Green Hydrogen”, as well as joining the world of electro-mobility.

* Finally, we reiterate our commitment that the water that will be utilized in the productive processes of Dominga will come 100% from the ocean and that we will share the water that we will desalinate with the residents of La HIguera, as requested by the communities.

* To this date, the owners of Andes Iron have invested more than 265.000 million pesos in the Dominga project, allocating important resources to environmental and technical studies to ensure the construction of a modern and sustainable project.