Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
- Copper
- Molybdenum
- Gold
- Silver
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ... |
Mine Life | 2041 |
Constancia is one of the lowest cost open pit copper mines in South America.
The Constancia mine is a traditional open pit shovel/truck operation with two deposits: Constancia and Pampacancha. The operation consists of open pit mining and flotation of sulphide minerals to produce commercial grade concentrates of copper and molybdenum. Silver and a small quantity of payable gold reports to the copper concentrate.
In 2024, Hudbay Minerals increased mineral reserve estimates at Constancia to include the addition of a tenth mining phase in the Constancia pit after conducting positive geotechnical drilling and studies in 2023. This extended the expected mine life at Constancia by three years to 2041 and there is potential for future mine life extensions.
Partially as a result of processing stockpiles to lower fuel consumption in early 2023, the mine life of the Pampacancha deposit has now been extended to the third quarter of 2025. |
Latest News | Hudbay Provides Annual Reserve and Resource Update and Production Outlook March 28, 2024 |
Source:
p. 7,15
Hudbay owns and operates 100% of the Constancia mine through its wholly-owned subsidiary HudBay Peru S.A.C.
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Porphyry
- Vein / narrow vein
- Skarn
- Epithermal
Summary:
Constancia mine include the Constancia and Pampacancha deposits
The Constancia deposit is a porphyry copper-molybdenum system which includes copper-bearing skarn mineralization. Multiple phases of monzonites and monzonite porphyry have intruded a sequence of sandstones, mudstones and micritic limestone of Cretaceous age.
The majority of the mineralization is associated with potassic alteration and quartz veining, occurring as chalcopyrite-(bornite)-molybdenite-pyrite mineralization in “A” and “B” type veinlets, and replacing ferromagnesian minerals or filling fractures. Copper grades are highest where fracture-filling style copper mineralization is superimposed on earlier disseminated copper mineralization. The higher-grade hypogene copper mineralization is hosted by a dense A-veinlet stockwork developed in an early porphyry phase. The pyrite/chalcopyrite ratio is typically below 2:1. Molybdenite commonly increases with depth in association to “B” veinlets. Bornite occurs sporadically especially at deeper levels, sometimes associated with some gold values.
Propylitic alteration is transitional to the potassic alteration and extends more than one kilometre from the porphyry intrusive contacts. The propylitic alteration mineral assemblage includes epidote-chlorite-calcitepyrite-rhodochrosite. Subordinate chalcopyrite is also present, filling fractures or replacing mafic minerals. Sphalerite-galena veinlets and veins are distributed as ........
Summary:
The Constancia mine is an open pit mining operation relying on conventional trucks and shovels. The Constancia ultimate pit design will measure approximately 1.6 km east to west, 1.7 km north to south, and have a maximum depth of around 705 m. The Pampacancha ultimate pit design will measure approximately 0.6 km east to west, 1 km north to south, and have a maximum depth of about 300 m. A primary waste rock facility (WRF), which is located to the south and east of the Constancia pit, is intended to be used for both deposits.
The processing facility is located approximately 1 km west of the Constancia Pit. The NAG waste rock is deposited south of the Constancia pit, while the tailings management facility (TMF) is located 3.5 km southwest of the Constancia pit.
DESIGN CRITERIA
Constancia is mined in nine stages and a two stage pit is planned at Pampacancha. The minimum mining width for each phase is 60 meters; this will allow a shovel, trucks (in two lines) and a drill to work safely and simultaneously.
The haul roads at Constancia and Pampacancha have been designed with a 10% grade and 32 m width for double lane haul roads and 24 m for single lane haul roads.
The final design for waste rock facilyty facility incorporates 20 m high benches with 1.4H:1V (36°) of bench slopes and 32 m wide benches. The overall slope of the stockpile will be about 3.0H:1V (18°). The current remaining capacity of the WRF is estimated ........
Source:
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Source:
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Reserves at January 1, 2024:
The open pit mineral resources are estimated using a minimum NSR cut-o of $6.40 per tonne and assuming metallurgical recoveries (applied by ore type) of 86% for copper on average for the life of mine, while the underground inferred resources at Constancia Norte are based on a 0.65% copper cut-o grade.
Mineral reserves are estimated using a minimum NSR cut-o of $6.40 per tonne at Pampacancha, $7.30 per tonne at Constancia and assuming metallurgical recoveries (applied by ore type) of 86% for copper on average for the life of mine.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade |
Proven & Probable
|
547,700,000 t
|
Copper
|
0.265 %
|
Proven & Probable
|
547,700,000 t
|
Molybdenum
|
78 %
|
Proven & Probable
|
547,700,000 t
|
Gold
|
0.048 g/t
|
Proven & Probable
|
547,700,000 t
|
Silver
|
2.69 g/t
|
Measured & Indicated
|
171,500,000 t
|
Copper
|
0.219 %
|
Measured & Indicated
|
171,500,000 t
|
Molybdenum
|
83 %
|
Measured & Indicated
|
171,500,000 t
|
Gold
|
0.039 g/t
|
Measured & Indicated
|
171,500,000 t
|
Silver
|
2.08 g/t
|
Inferred
|
36,900,000 t
|
Copper
|
0.402 %
|
Inferred
|
36,900,000 t
|
Molybdenum
|
68 %
|
Inferred
|
36,900,000 t
|
Gold
|
0.072 g/t
|
Inferred
|
36,900,000 t
|
Silver
|
3.65 g/t
|
HME Type | Model | Size | Quantity | Status | Leased or Contractor | Ref. Date | Source |
Bulldozer
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Jan 1, 2021
|
p.159, 162
|
Dozer (rubber tire)
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Jan 1, 2021
|
p.159, 162
|
Drill
|
.......................
|
270 mm
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Jan 1, 2021
|
p.159, 160
|
Grader
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Jan 1, 2021
|
p.159, 160
|
Loader
|
.......................
|
19 m3
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Jan 1, 2021
|
p.159, 161
|
Shovel
|
.......................
|
27 m3
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Jan 1, 2021
|
p.159, 161
|
Truck (haul)
|
.......................
|
240 t
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Jan 1, 2021
|
p.159, 162
|
.......................
|
.......................
|
.......................
|
.......................
|
Required
|
|
Jan 1, 2021
|
p.159, 162
|
Truck (haul)
|
|
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Dec 31, 2021
|
p.33
|
Truck (water)
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Jan 1, 2021
|
p.159, 161
|
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News:
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