Mina Ministro Hales
Vicepresidencia Corporativa de Proyectos (Codelco)
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Chile
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2010–2014
550,000 tpa copper concentrate bearing 6% arsenic.
444,000 tpa copper calcine bearing 0.3% arsenic.
183,000 tpa increase in output.
1,300 Mt (0.96% Cu) of resources.
Challenges
- The project aimed to develop a 50,000 tpd copper concentrator while concurrently executing various large projects with limited qualified workforce availability.
- Codelco needed a partner to help provide solutions and coordinate interfaces between the new facilities and existing installations.
- The project also involved sustaining the implementation schedule and budget.
- The plant's location, next to the city of Calama, was also a challenge.
Solutions
- Developed the basic and detailed engineering, procurement, and site-support services for the greenfield conventional copper concentrator, the roaster peripheral facilities, and the plant-wide infrastructure.
- Codelco representatives worked in close collaboration with our team, reviewing the incorporation of design features to provide high plant availability and operations-workforce productivity.
- Technical optimization of the existing concentrator plant resulted in improved availability and utilization.
- Controlled mining and abatement systems for crushing and ore-handling facilities reduced dust emissions affecting the nearby Calama population.
Highlights
- Awarded the sole-source contract given our strong implementation-phase team and previous successful delivery during basic engineering.
- Technical optimization of the concentrator plant has resulted in improved availability and utilization.
- The controlled mining-and-abatement systems for crushing and ore-handling facilities reduced dust emissions affecting the Calama population.
- Concentrator facility was delivered by Codelco on time and had a rapid start-up to full capacity.
”With this new operation we transition to more efficient and productive mining. Ministro Hales is our most productive asset, delivering 67 t of refined copper by person this first year of operation, 70% over the corporative value.”
Project numbers
300 tpa of silver1,300 Mt (0.96% Cu) of resources
289 Mt of reserves processed
164 tpa of calcine storage and truck loading facility
US$3.1 billion overall project CAPEX
41-month project implementation schedule