Codelco Shuts Down Andina Concentrator on Nov. 5 Following Tailings Spill

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Written by Amir Richani for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Codelco shut down the concentrator at its Andina mine on November 5 following a tailings spill that reached the Blanco River. Environmental authorities are investigating the incident. Andina produced 182,000 tonnes of copper in 2025.

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Concentrator Shutdown

On November 5, Codelco, the Chilean state company, shut down the concentrator at its Andina copper mine in Los Andes province of the Valparaiso region. The plant was shut down as a precaution following tailings spill that Codelco later confirmed had reached the Blanco River, according to information shared by BioBioChile.

Codelco said it had "detected an obstruction in its tailings transport system, possibly caused by an object falling into the flume in the 'Rapido RV4' section, located within its operations in the mountain region, in the Río Blanco valley," according to a Codelco statement reproduced by BioBioChile.

Codelco later confirmed that between one and five cubic meters of tailings had entered the river, according to BioBioChile.

On November 5, Chile's Superintendency for the Environment (SMA) launched an investigation into the spill and deployed inspectors to assess its effects. It will take five working days for SMA to publish a consolidated report covering the full details of the incident.

The SMA launched an investigation into "the tailings spill that occurred at Codelco's Andina Division. To this end, we have formally issued a request for information to the company, seeking to clarify the causes of the obstruction, the volume of material spilled, and whether its contingency and monitoring plans were properly activated," SMA Superintendent Emanuel Ibarra said in a statement.

Andina and other Codelco Operations

Andina is one of Codelco's key copper assets, producing around 182,000 tonnes of copper in 2025, based on company data. Cochilco, the Chilean Copper Commission, reported that Andina produced 118,500 tonnes between January and August 2026, 5.7% more than during the same period in 2025.

The incident adds to operational challenges facing Codelco. Based on Cochilco's data, Codelco's production, including its attributable shares from its joint ventures, totaled 833,400 tonnes between January and August, a 7.5% drop from the same period last year.

Between January and August 2026, El Teniente's copper output fell 20.3% year on year, while combined production from Chuquicamata, Radomiro Tomic and Ministro Hales declined 7.0%, according to Cochilco. Andina's incident represents another setback for Codelco, which is struggling to increase its copper output to previous levels. In a July interview with Radio Infinita, Codelco's Chairman, Bernardo Fontaine, said the company will miss its target to reach an annual production of 1.7 million tonnes by 2030.

Despite this, Codelco is advancing projects at existing operations and is partnering with private companies to develop new mines such as Tovaku, owned by Codelco (40%) and Pucobre (60%).

Industrial Info Resources is tracking 68 Codelco-owned projects representing investments of US$21.50 billion. Of these, 15 involve unit additions, 10 involve plant expansions and nine involve upgrades, all aimed at enhancing existing operations.

Additionally, IIR monitors six greenfield projects belonging to Codelco. Four of them focus on the lithium segment. The other two pertain to the Antofagasta copper smelter and refinery and the Distrito Norte desalination plant.

Key Takeaways

• Codelco shut down the concentrator at its Andina mine on November 5 due to a tailings spill.
• Environmental authorities are assessing the possible impact of the spill on the Blanco River.
• Andina produced 118,500 tonnes of copper between January and August, a 5.7% increase year on year.

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