Bajo de la Alumbrera Copper and Gold Mine, Argentina

Producer of

Copper and gold

Location

Catamarca Province, Argentina

Ownership

Xstrata plc (50% operating interest), Wheaton River Minerals (37.5%)

Geology type

Copper porphyry

Mineral type

Chalcocite and chalcopyrite

Reserve base

Proven 360Mt @ 0.46% Cu, 0.51g/t Au

Annual production

187,300t of copper and 579,300oz of gold (2005)

Mining method

Open pit

Processing method

Crushing, SAG and ball milling, conventional rougher and Jameson cell cleaner flotation

Employment

862 employees, plus 392 contractors (2001)

Key equipment (open pit)

Bucyrus-Erie BE495 mining shovels, LeTourneau L-1800 electric-drive wheel loaders, Caterpillar 793B haul trucks

Key equipment (concentrator)

Svedala mills, Geho slurry pumps, Larox dewatering station

Prime contractors

Plant - Fluor Daniel/SADE Ingenieria y Construcciones SA
Electrical reticulation - GEC Alsthom Australia
Pipeline construction - PSI-JRI Ingenieria