Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ... |
Mine Life | 2056 |
Los Bronces is one of the world’s largest copper mines.
Los Bronces remains a world-class copper deposit, accounting for more than 2% of the world’s known copper resources.
The environmental permit for the Los Bronces open pit expansion and underground development was issued by the authorities in November 2023. Development work for the next higher grade, softer ore phase of the mine, Donoso 2, is now under way and is expected to benefit production and unit costs from early 2027. Pre-feasibility studies for the Los Bronces underground expansion are ongoing and are expected to be finalised in mid-2025.
While the operation works through the challenges in the mine, and until the economics improve, the older, smaller and more costly Los Bronces processing plant will be placed on care and maintenance from mid-2024. |
Source:
p. 22
Los Bronces is owned and operated by Anglo American Sur S.A. Its shareholders are Anglo American through Inversiones Anglo American Sur S.A. and Anglo American Clarent (UK) Ltd; Mitsubishi, through MC Resource Development Ltd. and Codelco and Mitsui, through Inversiones Mineras Becrux SpA.
50.1% Anglo; 29.5% Codelco and Mitsui JV; 20.4% Mitsubishi.
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Porphyry
- Breccia pipe / Stockwork
Summary:
The Los Bronces deposit is part of the Miocene Pliocene Río Blanco – Los Bronces porphyry copper system with mineralisation extends 9km from North to South and 3km from East to West. The deposit is open at depth and laterally.
The orebodies are located in a mineralised corridor of 1 km wide by 8 km long, which is part of the late Miocene to early Pliocene Río Blanco-Los Bronces porphyry copper system. The host rocks are the volcanic sequence of the Farellones Formation and the plutonic rocks of the San Francisco Batholith, which intrude the Farellones Formation.
Copper mineralisation is associated with the emplacement of a breccia complex (hydrothermal and magmatic breccias) related to a system of porphyry intrusions. The breccia complex comprises at least seven hydrothermal breccia pipes forming a large elliptic body of 4 km in length, 0.7 km in width and 2 km in depth. The shape of the breccia system is ‘funnel-like’, with sharp contacts with the host rocks in the upper part of the column and transitional contacts at depth. The main phase of copper and molybdenum mineralisation is hosted in the high grade breccia bodies and is disseminated throughout the host volcanic and igneous rocks. This is overprinted by later structurally controlled veins that contain erratic copper-arsenic mineralisation confined locally to parts of the deposit. Late porphyries and a diatreme complex post-date the mineralisation event.
The main ore body is a complex a ........
Summary:
Los Bronces is an open-pit copper and moly mine.
Los Bronces is currently mining a single phase impacted by ore hardness, and with expected lower grades. Additional mining phases and intermediate ore stockpiles that would typically provide operational flexibility have not been developed as a result of delays in mine development, permitting and operational challenges.
At Los Bronces, the first stage of the autonomous haulage system implementation is complete, with 22 new fully autonomous trucks operating. During 2023, the remaining truck fleet will be retrofitted, and control will transition to the Integrated Remote Operations Centre (IROC) in Santiago alongside the autonomous drill fleet.
In its entirety, the project contemplates an investment of $150 million and it is estimated that in 2024 62 electric drive Komatsu 930E trucks with this technology will be operating at Los Bronces.
The mine is also deploying five autonomous drilling rigs, with a further three planned, and is using robotics technology in remotely controlling the placing of explosives for blasting.
Source:
Source:
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Pipelines and Water Supply
Source:
- subscription is required.
Production:
Commodity | Product | Units | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Copper
|
Cathode
|
t
| ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | 39,000 | 38,300 |
Copper
|
Metal in concentrate
|
t
| ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | 330,500 | 270,000 |
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Operational Metrics:
Metrics | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Ore tonnes mined
| ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | 65,915,300 t | 59,207,400 t |
Tonnes processed
| ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | 42,008,400 t | 50,583,000 t |
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Reserves at December 31, 2023:
Mineral Resources cut-off: Los Bronces (Flotation) – 0.2%TCu, Los Bronces (Dump Leach) – 0.15%TCu.
Category | OreType | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven & Probable
|
Leach Pad
|
426.3 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.28 %
|
1,204 kt
|
Proven & Probable
|
Sulphide
|
1,228 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.53 %
|
6,520 kt
|
Proven & Probable
|
Sulphide
|
1,228 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.013 %
|
160 kt
|
Measured & Indicated
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
833 Mt
|
Copper
|
1.38 %
|
11,494 kt
|
Measured & Indicated
|
Sulphide
|
2,888 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.45 %
|
13,056 kt
|
Measured & Indicated
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
201 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.024 %
|
201 kt
|
Measured & Indicated
|
Sulphide
|
2,888 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.009 %
|
249 kt
|
Inferred
|
Leach Pad
|
8.7 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.33 %
|
29 kt
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
4,201 Mt
|
Copper
|
1 %
|
41,945 kt
|
Inferred
|
Sulphide
|
738.2 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.43 %
|
3,194 kt
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
4,201 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.019 %
|
786 kt
|
Inferred
|
Sulphide
|
738.2 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.011 %
|
82 kt
|
HME Type | Model | Quantity | Ref. Date | Source |
Drill
|
|
.......................
|
Oct 17, 2019
|
p.8
|
Drill
|
.......................
|
.......................
|
Dec 31, 2022
|
p.59
|
Loader (FEL)
|
|
.......................
|
Oct 17, 2019
|
p.8
|
Shovel
|
|
.......................
|
Oct 17, 2019
|
p.8
|
Truck (haul)
|
.......................
|
.......................
|
Jan 12, 2024
|
|
Truck (haul)
|
.......................
|
.......................
|
Oct 17, 2019
|
p.8
|
Truck (haul)
|
.......................
|
.......................
|
Oct 17, 2019
|
p.8
|
Truck (haul)
|
.......................
|
.......................
|
Dec 31, 2022
|
p.43
|
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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