SLIDESHOW: The giant copper pit Chile is betting the future on
Codelco is gearing up to build one of the world's largest open pit mines high in the Andes to extend its operations through 2085.
Frik Els , Editor
Frik has 20 years’ experience as a business journalist across a range of industries including automotive, technology and entertainment markets. Frik has an entry in Global Mining Observer’s Who’s Who of Mining 2018, and contributions to publications and conferences including Business Insider, Investing.com, Mines & Money London and New York, Vancouver Resources Investment, Progressive Mine Forum in Toronto and Canadian Mining Symposium in London, UK. He’s been interviewed on CBC Radio and Korea State TV and quoted in the Financial Post.
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The giant copper pit Chile is betting its future on
Since nationalization in July 1971 Codelco has boosted Chile's state coffers by more than $100 billion.
The giant copper pit Chile is betting its future on
Located in Los Andes in the Valparaíso Region of Chile, the existing mine opened in 1970, combining surface (Sur Sur) and underground (Rio Blanco) mining.
The giant copper pit Chile is betting its future on
Central control room at the existing mine. The cost of the Andina 244 project is pegged at $6.8 billion and target date for completion is 2020.
The giant copper pit Chile is betting its future on
The Andina 244 pit will cover 510 hectares to a depth of 800m in the central valley shown on this satellite image. […]
The giant copper pit Chile is betting its future on
The Andina 244 project will extend the life of the mine to 2085 and boost annual production of fine copper at the complex to over 600,000 tonnes
The giant copper pit Chile is betting its future on
Not everything about mining has changed over the last century. At its most basic level open pit mining is still about trucks and shovels
The giant copper pit Chile is betting its future on
The Andina mine lies 80 km north east of the Chilean capital Santiago, more than 3,700m (12,000 feet) above sea-level
The giant copper pit Chile is betting its future on
Codelco prides itself on its diverse workforce, 10% of executives at the company are female and 8% of the overall headcount, above the industry average
The giant copper pit Chile is betting its future on
A prospecting team on a helicopter expedition. The area around the Andina mine continues to be explored
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