Technology Call to Push Productivity – Antofagasta Minerals

Antofagasta Minerals is a major international copper producer. Although not as large as some of its competitors, the company has a substantial copper portfolio in Chile with bold plans to expand its output and productivity over the coming years.

With several significant project announcements these past months, Antofagasta Minerals is well on its way to increase overall production over the next few years. The goal is to reach production levels of 900 thousand tons compared to Codelco who last year produced just over 1.3 million tons.

For technology providers, Antofagasta Minerals has been very aggressive with deploying technology which is focused on electrifying its mines, automating its equipment, and using sensors and software to improve the various mining processes.

For the right providers whose solutions fit within their technology roadmap, Antofagasta Minerals can be a great partner who are willing to test technologies that can improve their operations.

Now, Minera los Pelambres has launched a “Technologies for Competitiveness” challenge, which sets out to search for the latest technologies that will increase productivity levels in all its processes. Although we are at the tail end of the challenge, there is still time for companies to apply before the July 1st Close date.

Antofagasta Minerals – About Minera Los Pelambres

Los Pelambres is a sulphide deposit located in the Coquimbo region of Chile, 240 kilometers north of Santiago. Los Pelambres produces copper concentrate – which mainly contains gold– and molybdenum concentrate, through a milling and flotation process.

The average copper ore grade of 0.497 and a production of 300,300 tons of copper by 2023. The mine started operations in 1999 and is expected to operate until 2050. The operation is among the 15 main copper deposits in the world and among the top 5 nationally.

INCO Phase 1 –  Los Pelambres Expansion Update

Although Antofagasta Minerals as announced projects at various sites, one of its most important is the Inco 1 and 2 expansions which will extend the mine life and production beyond 2035.

• The INCO Phase 1 Project started construction in 2019 and is focused on optimising the production. The $1.8bn expansion project was expected to add an average of 60,000t of copper a year to the mine’s production and solve water issues the mine was facing.
• Due to the pandemic and other issues the company faced when building the project, construction has only wrapped up in 2023 and the final cost of the project increased to USD$2.2b.
• The successful ramp up towards the plants design capacity of 400 litres per second is nearing completion, with an average output of approximately 307 litres per second during December 2023.
• The fourth concentrator line at Los Pelambres is successfully completing its commissioning phase, with an additional two million tonnes of ore processed as of the end of the year.
• In November 2023, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approved phase 2 of the project which will double the size of the Los Pelambres’ desalination plant to 800 litres per second, as well as replacing the concentrate pipeline and the construction of certain planned enclosures at the El Mauro tailings storage facility. This work represents one part of the Los Pelambres Phase 2 Expansion Project, approval of which will be considered by the Board of Directors during Q1 2024.
• During the construction phase, it is expected that 2000 workers will be needed for the US$1bn project that will extend the Los Pelambres mine life to beyond 2035.

Technologies for Competitiveness – Minera Los Pelambres

Antofagasta Minerals seeks proposals for technologies that can be implemented rapidly to increase productivity at its Los Pelambres mine.

A call for proposals is aimed at companies, startups, institutes, research centers and local and international consortiums that offer solutions with technological maturity at or close to pre-commercial scale. Proposals may be submitted through July 1st and details are available here.

Solutions should focus on the following areas:

Mine, Plant, TFT (Fluid Transport and Tailings), Port, Desalination Plant, Transversal

The goal of the technology implementations is to gain improvements in one or more of the following areas:

• Availability of Equipment/Assets
• Equipment/Assets Utilization
• Equipment/Assets Performance
• Costs
• Safety/Health/Risks

Companies chosen will be invited to a demo day. The winning companies will have the opportunity to work with Los Pelambres on the next steps which will include a proof of concept, controlled environment pilot and/or industrial pilot in one of Antofagasta Minerals’ operations.

Conclusion

Antofagasta Minerals is not new to introducing technologies into its operations. It has a long track record of leading the Chilean mining industry with some notable projects.

• The company opened its first integrated remote operations centre (IROC) in 2022 for its Centinela copper mine at a cost of USD$66 million dollars.
• It was the second operation in Chile to have a fully autonomous fleet that dates back to December 2021.
• The company has extensive plans to move towards an electrified mine that includes a trolley assist pilot project at its Los Pelambres copper mine.
• It has introduced a robotization project to maintain the SAG mill and eliminate staff exposure to risks at its at Los Pelambres mine.

Challenges such as these which are put on in conjunction with Fundación Chile provide companies with an opportunity to present their technologies to leading mining companies who have real challenges they want to solve.

Antofagasta Minerals has considerable plans to grow its operations and improve productivity.  They have not been shy about their intentions to implement technologies throughout their operations, making it a great partner for companies who have interesting solutions.

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