Chilean Companies Codelco and Enami to Sign Agreement on Copper Smelting

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Chilean state-owned companies Corporacion Nacional del Cobre (Codelco) (Santiago) and Empresa Nacional de Mineria (Enami) (Santiago) are to sign an agreement to process a portion of Enami's copper concentrate inventory at Codelco's Potrerillos copper smelter and refinery, in the company's Salvador Division.

Enami, which buys and processes copper ores and concentrates from about 450 small- and medium-scale Chilean mining companies, currently processes about 30,000 tons of ore per month at Potrerillos. With the new agreement, Potrerillos will process about 130,000 tons of ore per month from Enami. With this agreement, Codelco will ease the impact of closure of its Salvador Division, which is scheduled for 2011. According Codelco, the company will decommission copper oxide and sulfide operations in 2010 and 2011, respectively, due to decreasing copper grade of the resources and higher costs of the operations.

Codelco's Salvador Division operates both underground and open pit mines in the Andes Mountain region at an altitude of 2,600 meters and produces more than 80,000 tons of copper cathodes a year. It also produces molybdenum, anodic sludge and sulfuric acid.

Enami operates one smelter and five processing plants in Chile and participates as a partner in Quebrada Blanca and Andacollo mines. Enami is currently developing the Delta project. For related information, see January 14, 2008 article - Delta Copper Project in Chile Receives Environmental Approval.

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