Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ...  |
Mine Life | 2035 |
Los 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 with Phase 1 expected to be in production in H2 2023 and Phase 2 in 2026.
Phase 1 is designed to increase plant throughput. The expansion is divided into two sub-projects, the construction of a desalination plant and water pipeline from the coast to the El Mauro tailings storage facility, and the expansion of the concentrator plant.
Phase 2 includes the expansion of the desalination plant and the construction of a new water pipeline from the El Mauro tailings storage facility to the concentrator plant. |
Latest News | Antofagasta gears up for phased growth at both Los Pelambres and Centinela August 10, 2023 |
Source:
p. 213
Ownership structure:
– 60% Antofagasta
– 9.21% Marubeni Corp.
– 15.79% JX Metals Corp. (formerly JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corp.)
- 10% Mitsubishi Materials Corp.
- 5% Mitsubishi Corp.
Minera Los Pelambres, a 60%-owned subsidiary incorporated in Chile.
Contractors
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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 i ........

Summary:
Los Pelambres ore is mined by a single open pit via conventional truck and shovel mining method with preliminary drilling and blasting operations.
There are electric shovels and Front-end loaders used for extraction-and-loading. Haulage is carried out by 300 ton trucks.
Primary crushing circuit is located near the mine. Crushed material is transported via 12,8 km belt conveyor to processing facility stockpile.
Source:

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Flow Sheet:
Summary:

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Reserves at December 31, 2022:
The cut-off grade applied to the determination of mineral resources is 0.35% copper, while the cut-off grade applied for mineral reserves is variable over 0.35% copper.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade |
Proven & Probable
|
905.5 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.59 %
|
Proven & Probable
|
905.5 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.02 %
|
Proven & Probable
|
905.5 Mt
|
Gold
|
0.05 g/t
|
Measured & Indicated
|
3,176 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.54 %
|
Measured & Indicated
|
3,176 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.018 %
|
Measured & Indicated
|
3,176 Mt
|
Gold
|
0.05 g/t
|
Inferred
|
2,780 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.46 %
|
Inferred
|
2,780 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.016 %
|
Inferred
|
2,780 Mt
|
Gold
|
0.06 g/t
|
Total Resource
|
5,955 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.5 %
|
Total Resource
|
5,955 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.017 %
|
Total Resource
|
5,955 Mt
|
Gold
|
0.05 g/t
|
Commodity Production Costs:
| Commodity | Units | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Cash costs
|
Copper
|
USD
|
......
|
......
|
......
|
......
|
......
|
1.52 / lb
|
1.44 / lb
|
Credits (by-product)
|
Copper
|
USD
|
|
......
|
......
|
......
|
......
|
-0.61 / lb
|
-0.42 / lb
|
Cash costs
|
Copper
|
USD
|
......
|
......
|
......
|
......
|
......
|
0.91 / lb†
|
1.02 / lb†
|
^ Guidance / Forecast.
† Net of By-Product.
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Financials:
| Units | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Sustaining costs
|
M USD
| ......  | | | |
|
|
|
Growth Capital
|
M USD
| ......  | | | |
|
|
|
Capital expenditures
|
M USD
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
364.8
|
237.8
|
215.3
|
Revenue
|
M USD
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
2,494
|
2,329
|
1,819
|
Operating Income
|
M USD
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
1,174
|
1,217
|
484.9
|
Pre-tax Income
|
M USD
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
1,161
|
1,223
|
365.2
|
After-tax Income
|
M USD
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
473.5
|
862.5
|
247.8
|
EBITDA
|
M USD
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
1,428
|
1,428
|
921
|
Operating Cash Flow
|
M USD
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
940.2
|
1,277
|
|
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Pipelines and Water Supply
Source:

- subscription is required.
HME Type | Model | Size | Quantity | Ref. Date |
Drill
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
Dec 31, 2016
|
Drill
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
Dec 31, 2016
|
Drill
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
Dec 31, 2016
|
Drill
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
Apr 28, 2022
|
Loader
|
.......................
|
33 cu. yd
|
.......................
|
Dec 31, 2016
|
Loader (FEL)
|
.......................
|
54 cu. yd
|
.......................
|
Dec 31, 2016
|
Shovel
|
.......................
|
53 cu. yd
|
.......................
|
Dec 31, 2016
|
Shovel
|
.......................
|
73 cu. yd
|
.......................
|
Dec 31, 2016
|
Shovel
|
.......................
|
73 cu. yd
|
.......................
|
Dec 31, 2016
|
Truck (haul)
|
.......................
|
300 tons
|
.......................
|
Dec 31, 2016
|
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