President Piñera inaugurates CODELCO Andina Transfer Project, ensuring copper production for the next 30 years: “Chile’s mining industry is alive and aware of the double challenge of generating wealth and protecting the environment”
The initiative entails a total investment of US$1.5 billion and stands out for its innovation and sustainability. Construction work began at the site in the Aconcagua Valley eight years ago. The deposit there contains 30% of Chile’s copper reserves.
The President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, inaugurated the CODELCO Andina Transfer Project this Wednesday, which will ensure copper production for the next 30 years given that the current underground mine is set to close in 2023.
“Mining has always been part of our country’s history and it’s therefore also part of our DNA and part of our identity. But, as well as recognizing this history, we also have to look to the future and realize that the way we do things, or the way we must do things in these new times has to be radically different,” the President stated. He was speaking during a visit to the site, which is located at more than 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) above sea level, where he was accompanied by Energy and Mining Biminister Juan Carlos Jobet and the Chair of state-owned copper company CODELCO, Juan Benavides.
The initiative entails total investment of US$1.5 billion and has taken eight years to construct. It stands out for its innovation and sustainability, and part of its infrastructure includes a 52-meter-high (171 feet) dome in which trucks will unload the material. The system will allow the primary crusher (the machine used to reduce the fragments) to be protected from low winter temperatures, which can drop to -20°C (-4°F).
The more than 50 pieces of equipment that are currently used in the mineral’s crushing and transportation process will be replaced by a single 14-piece system, which will reduce worker exposure to risk and facilitate operation and maintenance.
The project is safer and more efficient, generates its own energy and causes less pollution.
“We must regain momentum and recover the position that Chile has had in the copper market, while also taking on the new challenges and demands. For that reason, the policy aims to transform Chile into a leader of clean, sustainable, environmentally- and community-friendly mining,” the President explained.
Work on the unit began in September 2013, during President Piñera’s first administration and it is due to begin operating in February. The project will also provide continuity to local employment; 3,500 workers have been involved since construction began.
“The mining industry is alive and aware of the double challenge of generating wealth and protecting the environment. This is a very good sign for a country,” President Piñera concluded.