Mina Ministro Hales

Vicepresidencia Corporativa de Proyectos (Codelco) | Chile | 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

1300吨

(0.96% Cu) of resources

Challenges

  • Develop a 50,000 tpd copper concentrator while concurrently executing various large projects with limited qualified workforce availability.
  • Provide solutions and coordinate interfaces between the new facilities and existing installations.
  • Sustain 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 exisiting 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

  • We were 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.
  • 浓缩的entrator 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.”

Nelson Pizarro|CEO, Codelco

Project numbers

300 tpaof silver
1300吨(0.96% Cu) of resources
289 Mtof reserves processed
164 tpaof calcine storage and truck loading facility
US$3.1 billionoverall project CAPEX
41month project implementation schedule

Services & technologies provided

Copper

Engineering

Procurement


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