Williams named Chile mining minister

Chilean president Gabriel Boric has reportedly appointed Aurora Williams as the new mining minister for the country. Williams, according to Reuters, was placed after a reshuffle of cabinet members as the government seeks to advance key reforms, and replaces Marcela Hernando. She last served in the same seat from 2014-2018 under previous president Michelle Bachelet. “I invite the ministers to…

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Codelco renews Innergex contract through 2032

Aligning with its 2050 decarbonization goal, Chile’s state-owned Codelco has renewed a clean energy contract with Canada’s Innergex Renewable Energy for its Gabriela Mistral mining division in northern Chile.. The new contract became effective April 1, and will run until the end of 2032. “This clean energy project allows us to avoid the emission of 15,000 tons of carbon dioxide…

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Codelco’s El Teniente mine earns Copper Mark

Chile state-owned copper producer Codelco has received the highly sought-after Copper Mark sustainability certification for its El Teniente operation. A Reuters report said the news comes after Codelco confirmed last year it would seek the certification for all of its mines by the end of this year, with El Teniente, south of Santiago, being first. Chile’s largest global copper producer,…

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Leaching technology in action at Freeport’s El Abra

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.…

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Codelco names Sougarret CEO

Chilean copper producer Codelco has named a new CEO: Andre Sougarret. According to a Reuters report citing a company statement, he replaces Octavio Areneda, who is stepping down for personal reasons effective 29 August. Sougarret was most recently vice president for the company’s northern operations. He is currently on medical leave, Reuters noted, so his appointment will be effective once…

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Codelco halts projects after second worker death

Chilean state-owned miner Codelco is putting the brakes on its copper projects after two of its workers were killed in less than a month. According to a Reuters report, the fatalities were reported at the Rajo Inca and Chuquo Subterranea projects. In the former, which occurred on 18 July, a truck driven by a contractor slid off a platform at…

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Komatsu, Codelco to trial mining tunnel borer in Chile

Komatsu and subsidiary Komatsu Cummins Chile have partnered with Chilean state-owner miner Codelco to trial a new tunnel excavation method for underground hard rock mining using Komatsu’s newly developed Mining Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM). The trail will begin in 2024 at Codelco’s Chuquicamata mine just outside of Calama in northern Chile, a property that is situated at 2,850 metres (9,350…

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