Chile to Invest More than $1.5 Billion to Reduce SO2 Emission in Copper Smelters

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Researched by Industrial Info Research Latin America (Córdoba, Argentina)--Chile, the world's leading copper producer, expects to reduce sulfur dioxide and arsenic emissions by 2017. This decision has been made due to the community's pollution complaints about the state-owned Codelco's Ventanas smelter, located in the Valparaiso province, in central Chile.

The Environmental Ministry of Chile has commissioned to the Chilean-based engineering company COPRIM to develop a cost and viability study of three possible regulatory scenarios, considering the capture of 95%, 96% and 97% of sulfur dioxide emissions. With this capture level, Chile expects to reduce the emissions from the current 395,000 tons per year to 187,000 tons per year.

The Chilean copper smelters will invest more than $1.5 billion to meet the environmental regulations. The main work will include the addition and modernization of gas treatment units, gas control systems, and absorption towers in sulfuric acid plants.

There are currently seven operating copper smelters in Chile: Codelco's Ventanas, Chuquicamata, Caletones and Potrerillos; Anglo American's (LSE:AAL) Chagres; Xstrata's (LSE:XTA) Altonorte; and Enami's Hernán Videla Lira. The Chagres copper smelter is the only facility that reaches the emissions limits based on the new regulation. Altonorte has a capture level of 93%, Chuquicamata 91%, Potrerillos 76%, Henana Videla Lira 89%, Caletones (El Teniente) 88% and Ventanas 94%.

Chile copper smelters annually process about 6 million tons of copper concentrate produced in the local mines.

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