Sierra Gorda Copper Mine Project
Sierra Gorda Mine in Chile is a copper and molybdenum open pit mine which started production on October 1, 2014. The mine is located 2 km north-west of the village of Sierra Gorda in the Antofagasta Province of northern Chile.[1]
Description
[edit]Sierra Gorda SCM is the project company operating the mine. They are a joint venture between KGHM International Ltd, subsidiary of KGHM Polska Miedź (55%), and South32 (45%). South32 had taken over the 45% stake from Sumitomo Group in 2021.[2]
Feasibilities studies were done on 2011 by Fluor Corporation.[3] Other major milestones of the Copper-Molybdenum mine includes EPCM contracts and respective loan agreements to finance the construction both done on 2012, followed by water pipeline construction in 2013 and finally mine production starting in October 2014.[4]
By 2017, when prices for copper were falling worldwide, KGHM announced it would not start a second expansion phase, which wsa supposed to raise production from 98,000 tonnes of copper (2016) to a projected 220,000 tonnes.[5]
For the year 2021, the mine was "expected to produce 180,000 t of copper, 5,000 t of molybdenum, 54,000 oz of gold and 1.6 Moz of silver".[2] In 2024, South32 announced the addition of a fourth line for grinding ore, which is supposed to increase production by 20%. At that time, the company said the mine had an 782 million tonnes of ore, with 0.44% copper, which should be enough for 16 years.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Sierra Gorda Copper-Molybdenum Mine". Mining Technology. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ a b Moore, Paul (14 October 2021). "South32 buys into copper by taking Sumitomo's 45% stake in Sierra Gorda". International Mining. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "Sierra Gorda Copper-Molybdenum Mine Project, Chile".
- ^ "Sierra Gorda Project". Digiscend.com. 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-13.
- ^ Jamasmie, Cecilia (11 May 2017). "KGHM says phase two of Sierra Gorda copper mine in Chile will never happen". Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ Brown, Dylan (29 August 2024). "South32 expands Sierra Gorda operations". Retrieved 4 November 2024.
External links
[edit]- "Sierra Gorda". www.south32.net. Retrieved 2022-04-06.