- Anglo American's effort to improve air quality in the Metropolitan Region is advancing steadily. Authorities and other entities participated in this milestone, emphasizing its health and environmental advantages.
In Tiltil, Anglo American took a significant step forward in its "Plan to replace wood-burning stoves with efficient air conditioning equipment" after removing the 1,000th stove from circulation.
"Being here and seeing first-hand how our wood stove replacement plan is steadily progressing, witnessing how this contributes to improving the quality of life of entire families, is very important to us. We have more than 57,000 wood-burning stoves to remove from circulation, so we still have a long way to go. Still, we are very enthusiastic and happy to be actively contributing to the decontamination of the Metropolitan Region with concrete measures such as this. Without a doubt, it motivates us to continue strengthening our commitment to responsible mining," said Patricio Hidalgo, executive president of Anglo American in Chile.
Juan Carvajal, a 65-year-old, experienced a notable upgrade at his home. In 2000, he moved into his residence in the Huertos Familiares neighborhood and lived there for over ten years, relying on a wood stove for heat during winter. This morning, his old heater was replaced with a high efficiency Split Inverter electric unit that functions as a heater and cooler. The installation, taking approximately three hours, involved completely removing the old wood stove, which will be recycled as scrap metal, and installing the new unit free of charge.
“I hope to contribute to the community by helping to decontaminate the environment and my home. I have young grandchildren, and I don't want them to continue to suffer health problems from burning wood during the winter, so I am pleased with this Anglo-American project being implemented by Enel X. I invite the residents of Tiltil to sign up and get involved because it will be good for all of us," said Carvajal.
This replacement plan, led by Anglo American, is part of the Emissions Compensation Program for its Los Bronces Integrated Project. It aims to offset 150% of the project's particulate matter emissions, exceeding the 120% minimum required by environmental regulations, thus helping to improve air quality in the Metropolitan Region. To achieve this, the company will need to replace about 70% of the existing wood-burning stoves in the area over seven years. In the first twelve months, more than 11,000 stoves will be replaced.
Wood burning is currently one of Santiago's primary sources of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), especially during winter, when it accounts for 40% of total emissions. This type of pollutant can have severe health effects, including chronic respiratory diseases, asthma, cardiovascular issues, and even early death.
We hope these 57,000 households will indeed have their heaters, which also function as air conditioners, helping us reduce emissions. I also encourage everyone to sign up for the program and for local governments to collaborate on this effort because we urgently need to cut air pollution in the Metropolitan Region," said Sonia Reyes, Regional Representative for the Minister for the Environment.
Overall, this replacement plan is expected to deliver estimated benefits of around US$1.5 billion in healthcare savings by enhancing air quality inside and outside the home and reducing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Finance Minister Mario Marcel recalled drafting the Los Bronces Integrated Project, which the Committee of Ministers approved in April 2023: "I told them they had to persevere, to gather comments. And the company went much further: dialogue was established with the SOFOFA Environment Centre, and the idea for this project emerged. This has enabled a project involving more than US$3 billion in investment to be under development. This sends a compelling message to investors: proactive public-private collaboration, seeking initiatives and ideas to go beyond what was required in an environmental assessment. That is what we need in Chile. When we are overcome by pessimism or lamentation, the permissiveness, there are ways to overcome it and change things. We must dare, inform ourselves, and be creative to do so. Many of these elements are present in this experience," said the authority.
The replacement program is free for residents of the Metropolitan Region who have a wood-burning stove. It covers a technical assessment, new equipment installation, and removing and disposing of the old stove. Enel X oversees the implementation process.
We are pleased to partner with Anglo American in replacing the 1,000th wood-burning stove with air conditioning, marking a significant milestone in our joint effort. This not only helps us make consistent progress but also demonstrates that more families are joining the project each day, aiding in reducing emissions in the Metropolitan Region and providing access to clean, efficient climate control that enhances the quality of life for thousands of households," said Karla Zapata, general manager of Enel X.
If you have a wood-burning stove installed and live in the Metropolitan Region, learn more and apply at www.cambiatuestufagratis.cl. After the application, Enel X will perform a technical review to confirm the feasibility of each home.