Jetti Resources has inked a deal with Freeport-McMoRan for its leaching technology deployment at the El Abra copper operation in Chile.
The deal for the placement, which is between Jetti and Sociedad Contractual Minera El Abra, is the first in Chile, and the second for Jetti at a Freeport mine. The first was the Bagdad mine in Arizona last year.
The use of Jetti’s technology will enable El Abra to produce more copper while taking advantage of existing infrastructure for strong financial returns.
Jetti officials said the catalytic technology will be deployed on the existing leach stockpiles at El Abra and will target over 20 million pounds of incremental copper cathode production per year after an initial ramp-up period
“The project will leverage existing El Abra infrastructure including excess tank house capacity sufficient to process all production from Jetti’s leaching technology,” it said.
Engineering for the catalyst facility is well advanced; construction is expected in the first half of this year with commissioning in 2H23.
El Abra, an open-pit complex, produced about 200 million pounds of copper last year. It is about 47 miles north of Calama, El Loa province. It is owned by Freeport-McMoRan (51%) and Codelco (49%).
Source: Freeport-McMoRan