Chile's Antofagasta hopes to extend the mining of Los Pelambres mine through expansion and upgrading

On June 24 (Tuesday), Antofagasta in Chile recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of mining operations at its flagship copper mine, Los Pelambres. The mine is located in the Coquimbo region of Chile, approximately 240 kilometers north of Santiago.

As one of the world's largest copper mines, Los Pelambres has produced over 8.5 million mt of copper to date. Last year, the mine's production reached 320,000 mt, ranking it outside the top 10 global producers.

In 2024, Antofagasta completed the first phase of its expansion project, which included the construction of a desalination plant and a water pipeline from the coast to the El Mauro tailings storage facility, as well as the expansion of the concentrator plant through the addition of extra plants and flotation cells.

Following the first phase of expansion, the company initiated two new projects: a new pipeline and the expansion of the desalination plant.

The company believes that some of Los Pelambres' large projects will help achieve production and value creation over the next 25 years. To this end, the company has submitted an environmental impact assessment for its development projects, which may extend the mine's life to 2051.