Chilean mining company Codelco has requested that Chile’s mining regulator, Sernageomin, allow the reopening of a portion of its El Teniente mine, reported Reuters, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
This follows an earthquake-induced collapse that resulted in the death of six workers last week.
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El Teniente is among the largest underground copper mines globally and produced more than 300,000 tonnes (t) of copper last year.
Mining operations at El Teniente were halted to commence search and rescue operations, with Sernageomin subsequently imposing a formal suspension.
Codelco has been instructed to submit four reports concerning the accident’s causes and consequences before the suspension can be reconsidered.
The company announced that it has complied with three information requests from Sernageomin and the Chilean labour inspection office.
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By GlobalDataIn addition to the reports, Codelco has been undertaking cleaning and maintenance at El Teniente’s processing plants and smelter.
The company has also been operating the smelter’s anode furnaces bi-hourly to ensure the equipment remains functional.
A source close to Codelco’s operations indicated that the shift to ‘maintenance mode’ was due to the absence of copper for processing, as mining activities had ceased following the accident.
Despite the halt in underground mining, Codelco initially continued its processing and smelting operations.
However, the company has now had to seek permission to resume mining to maintain its operations.
Minera Valle Central (MVC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Amerigo Resources, has also been affected by the suspension.
Since 1992, MVC has been engaged in the production of copper concentrates through the processing of both fresh and historic tailings sourced from Codelco’s El Teniente mine.
MVC will continue processing historic tailings, while processing of fresh tailings will be on hold until El Teniente’s operations are resumed.
The full impact on Amerigo’s annual production is yet to be determined and is contingent on the duration of El Teniente’s closure. Currently, MVC estimates a daily production loss of 100,000 pounds of copper.
