Last month, the committee of ministers accepted complaints against the $2.5 billion initiative, thereby revoking its environmental permit.

An environmental court in Antofagasta ordered a repeat vote by a committee of Chilean government ministers on the controversial Dominga iron and copper project that was rejected by the government in January, local media reported Tuesday.

Last month, the committee accepted complaints against the $2.5 billion project, effectively revoking its environmental permit.

The court said the agency had partially complied with a December ruling and would have been outside the deadline granted, which expired on December 31. It gave it a new 10-day deadline to rule.

"It was essential to comply with the obligation to make it consistent with the timely issuance of a new resolution exempt from replacement by the Committee of Ministers," the ruling said, according to the morning paper La Tercera .

The committee of ministers - made up of the Mining, Agriculture, Energy, Economy, and Health ministries and chaired by the Environment portfolio - is not part of the environmental assessment service but has the power to hear and review environmental resolutions, among other powers.

Andes Iron, the owner of the project, had described the decision as illegal and unconstitutional, which led it to appeal the ministers' ruling.