The Chilean state-owned mining company Codelco officially started operations at the Andes Norte project in its “El Teniente” division, after carrying out the first blasting on May 22. This event represents a breakthrough in national subway mining and is projected to be an important activity for one of the country’s most emblematic deposits.
The beginning of the Andes Norte project
The detonator was triggered by Codelco’s CEO, Rubén Alvarado, who was accompanied by senior executives of the corporation. After the detonation at the sinking level, this marks the beginning of a new stage of exploitation in this deep mining initiative.
The Andes Norte project has more than 375 million tons of reserves and contemplates a treatment capacity of 35 thousand tons of ore per day, with an average copper grade of 0.99%. These figures position El Teniente as a reference in the development of advanced subway mining in Latin America.
This is a long story that comes from the New Mine Level, where we have had an example of perseverance, resilience and learning.
Today we are giving 50 more years of production for El Teniente, 50 more years of development for Chile.
Rubén Alvarado, CEO of Codelco.
The Vice-Presidency of Operations, in charge of Julio Cuevas, emphasized that this is the third major mine level reduction in the 120-year history of El Teniente, with a new generation infrastructure that includes a modern material handling system and more efficient operating accesses.
The 84 thousand cubic meter crushing cavern is a sample of the scope of the project. For the mining company, the exploitation of Andes Norte will have the scope and capacity to open the way in global deep mining.
The Andes Norte project stands as a long-term subway mining model in the O’Higgins Region, integrating sustainability, operational efficiency and commitment to the communities. With this first blasting, Codelco strengthens its position as the engine of copper mining on the international stage.
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Source and photo: Codelco
