Mining Intelligence and News
Chile

Los Pelambres Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Molybdenum
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
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SnapshotLos Pelambres is a sulphide deposit. It produces copper concentrate (containing gold and silver) and molybdenum concentrate.

The Los Pelambres Expansion project is divided into two phases: Phase 1 was completed in 2023 and Phase 2 expected to be in production in 2026.

The Los Pelambres desalination plant and pipeline from the coast to the El Mauro tailings storage facility, and concentrator expansion were completed in 2023 and moved forward to operational ramp up.

Following approval of the relevant EIA in late 2023, preparations are well underway at Los Pelambres for the commencement of construction of the next phase of development projects, which includes the doubling of the existing desalination plant to 800 l/s and the construction of a new concentrate pipeline, and the construction of certain enclosures at the El Mauro tailings storage facility. This work represents one part of the Los Pelambres Phase 2 of Expansion (extend the LOM by a minimum of 15 additional years).

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Mitsubishi Corp. 5 % Indirect
Marubeni Corp. 9.21 % Indirect
Mitsubishi Materials Corp. 10 % Indirect
JX Metals Corp. 15.79 % Indirect
Antofagasta plc. 60 % Indirect
Minera Los Pelambres S.A. (operator) 100 % Direct
Ownership structure of Minera Los Pelambres:

– 60% Antofagasta plc

– 9.21% Marubeni Corp.

– 15.79% JX Metals Corp. (formerly JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corp.)

- 10% Mitsubishi Materials Corp.

- 5% Mitsubishi Corp.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Porphyry

Summary:

The porphyry copper mineralization at Los Pelambres is contained in two contiguous deposits, Los Pelambres (Cu-Mo) and Frontera (Cu-Au), which together constitute the third largest copper concentration (~36 million metric tons (Mt) Cu) in the Miocene to early Pliocene belt of central Chile. Los Pelambres is centered on a composite, N-oriented, ~4.5- × 2.5-km precursor quartz diorite stock emplaced within the regional, NNW-striking, E-vergent Los Pelambres reverse fault.

The fault places intensely deformed Late Cretaceous volcanic and late Oligocene to early Miocene volcanic and volcanosedimentary rocks of the Los Pelambres Formation over gently folded early Miocene volcanic rocks of the Pachón Formation. Copper-gold mineralization at Frontera is hosted mainly by andesite of the Pachón Formation.

Los Pelambres and Frontera are spatially and genetically related to multiphase porphyry bodies that are located within and immediately southeast of the Los Pelambres stock. The stock is emplaced into the Late Cretaceous rhyolitic tuff and late Oligocene to early Miocene Los Pelambres and Pachón Formations.

East of the fault, the Pachón Formation is composed of gently to steeply dipping (20°-70°W), massive andesitic flows and flow breccias, whereas moderately to steeply dipping (50°-80°W) epiclastic rocks and andesite flows constitute the Los Pelambres Formation to the west. Several roof pendants and large blocks of massive andesite, some up to 500 m in vertical extent, are present in the Los Pelambres stock, defining a NW-trending corridor through the north-central parts of the open pit. Within the pit and its immediate environs, both formations are also intruded by numerous, coarse-grained, porphyritic andesite dikes and sills of premineral age and, more locally, as in the northern high wall of the pit, by quartz-eye-bearing sills of dacitic composition (cf. quartz-feldspar porphyry of Atkinson et al., 1996). West of the Los Pelambres fault, the brownishcolored epiclastic sandstone and shale of the Los Pelambres Formation unconformably overlie the Late Cretaceous rhyolitic tuff

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Copper kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe363358338355363
Molybdenum kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1113107.110
Gold koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe6063555851
All production numbers are expressed as metal in concentrate. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018201720162015
Daily processing rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe167.8 kt169.1 kt161.6 kt155.6 kt168.2 kt
Daily processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe175 kt175 kt
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe87 Mt
Stripping / waste ratio  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1.2

Production Costs

CommodityUnits20242023202220212020201920182017
Cash costs Copper USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1.4 / lb   1.52 / lb   1.44 / lb  
Credits (by-product) Copper USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -0.49 / lb   -0.61 / lb   -0.42 / lb  
Cash costs Copper USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 0.91 / lb **   0.91 / lb **   1.02 / lb **  
^ Guidance / Forecast.
** Net of By-Product.

Financials

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Sustaining costs M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 573   364.8   237.8  
Growth Capital M USD  ....  Subscribe
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 2,364   2,494   2,329  
Operating Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,115   1,174   1,217  
Pre-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,127   1,161   1,223  
After-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 785.9   473.5   862.5  
EBITDA M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,384   1,428   1,428  
Operating Cash Flow M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,427   940.2   1,277  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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AV - Autonomous

Personnel

Mine Management

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Aerial view:

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