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CHILE: Construction plans for proposed $470,000,000 copper mine expansion project, CORPORACION NACIONAL DEL COBRE DE CHILE (CODELCO) [Chile] - Order #: 054804.

Article Excerpt
PROJECT OVERVIEW:

The local Codelco Norte, the northern division of CORPORACION NACIONAL DEL COBRE DE CHILE (CODELCO), is currently gearing-up to expand its mining operations. According to Nelson Pizarro, Codelco Norte Vice-President, a capital investment of $470,000,000 will be made to complete an upgrade of the unit's smelter and advancing the northern expansion of the Mina Sur open-pit.

The Mina Sur project, the most immediate, calls for taking into production an ore channel that connects it to main Chicuquicamata deposit. The channel is said to contain some 86 million metric tons of ore grading 1.39% copper. In so doing, operational start-up is scheduled for May 2005.

The development also involves the construction of a new heap-leach and SX-EW facilities for which an engineering, procurement, construction and management (EPCM) contract is soon expected to be awarded. Another near-term project will involve developing the 550 million metric ton Mansa Mina deposit. The environmental permitting process for this undertaking is expected to begin in October 2004 to be followed by approval by some time during the second quarter of 2005. As a result, production start-up is slated for some 2 years later.

CODELCO, a state-owned corporation, employs a total staff of about 17,000 and acts as a mining, industrial and commercial enterprise that...

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