December 6, 2015
After more than 100 years of production in what is now the world’s largest copper open pit, Chuquicamata is paving the way for a complete transition from surface to underground excavation. The decision is due to depleting, profitable reserves and the increasing cost of additional waste removal as mining goes deeper. Added to this is the high energy cost of mining and transportation at this giant site which has grown to 5 km long, 3 km wide and 1 km deep.
Instead, Codelco Norte, the state-owned mining company, is going underground where the “red metal” can not only be extracted from the rich orebody at lower cost but will also prolong the life of the Chuquicamata mine to 2060. The project aims to ramp up to full scale production by 2020 and development of the underground structure is making good headway. This first phase involves the construction of four tunnels, two for ventilation, one for access and one for transport. These total 20 km in length and are being driven by contractors Astaldi and Acciona Ossa, both using equipment from Atlas Copco. For this phase, which started in 2012 and aims to be complete by year-end 2015, Atlas Copco has provided a fleet of Boomer XE3C and Boomer E2C drill rigs, Scooptram ST14 and Scooptram ST1030 LHD loaders as well Minetruck MT6020 trucks. In addition, Atlas Copco has established a Customer Center branch office in the town of Calama, about half an hour’s drive from Chuquicamata, in order to be as close as possible to the site, to provide technical, logistical and service support as well as training for equipment operators.
The second and main phase of the project, which starts in 2016, will involve the construction of no less than 100 km of tunnels and drifts. These will be used for production, material transport, ventilation levels and auxiliary facilities such as crusher stations.
Astaldi and Acciona Ossa say they are therefore well equipped and confident to take on this second phase alongside the two other contractors bidding for the project, Züblin and Geovita.
