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Coloso, but was not economic and closed down four years later. In 1998, the oxide ore leaching plant was started up, which now has a capacity of 150,000 tonnes of copper cathode annually. Also in 1998, the Los
Colorados concentrator was expanded to 120,000 tonnes per day. A second concentrator, the 110,000 tonnes per day Laguna Seca mill, started up in 2002, the Escondida Norte pit started production in 2005, and in 2006 a sulphide bioleach plant with an annual capacity 180,000 tonnes of cathode started up, as did a desalination plant in Coloso.
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profits being made by the company on the back of the record copper price. The workers initially demanded a 13% pay rise plus a bonus of $ 30,000, but eventually settled for a 5% increase, a $ 17,000 bonus and a number of other minor benefits. The company managed to keep production at 40% of normal levels, but the union eventually blockaded the road to the mine on 16 August. On 18 August, Escondida declared
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51:. It is currently the highest producing copper mine in the world. Its 2007 production of 1.483 million tons of the metal was worth US$ 10.12 billion, mainly as metal in concentrate, but some as cathode, and was 9.5% of world output and 26% of Chilean production, according to the US Geological Survey's preliminary estimates of 2007 world mine output.
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As a result of its considerable size relative to the world copper market, developments at
Escondida can have dramatic effects on the world copper price as was shown by its gyrations during the strike in August 2006. The strike was called because the workers felt they were not sharing in the very high
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The Los
Colorados concentrator started up at 35,000 tonnes per day in November 1990, and the first concentrate shipment was made at the end of the year. Expansion has been steady since then. In 1994, an ammonia leach plant to produce copper cathode from a portion of the concentrates was started up in
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Escondida has become an important part of the
Chilean economy. According to the CIA World Factbook, the mine's 2007 sales of US$ 10.21 billion were 4.3% of estimated 2007 GDP of US$ 234.4 billion and about 15% of exports. At the end of 2006, the company employed directly some 2,951 workers and 3,158
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The average copper price in 2007 rose to US$ 3.23/lb compared with the mine's total direct costs of only 60.8 cents/lb, which fell partly as a result of sharply lower treatment and refining costs charged by smelters. The operation was thus highly profitable and paid US$ 2.2 billion in taxes to the
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in the north and El
Salvador in the south. Minera Utah de Chile and Getty Mining (Chile) formed a joint venture to carry it out. On March 14, 1981, 'Pozo 6' the last scheduled borehole in the program, hit 52 metres of 1.51% copper at a depth of 240 metres and discovered the main Escondida orebody.
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Escondida produces mainly copper concentrates, which are piped as a slurry down to the port of Coloso, where they are dewatered before shipping, and a smaller proportion of cathode copper from the leaching of both oxide and low grade sulfide ore. It also produces gold and silver.
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More holes were drilled to delineate the orebody and a shaft was sunk to provide bulk samples for metallurgical testing. Construction of the mine started in 1988, which including the stripping of over 180 million tonnes of waste to get to the orebody.
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It is so called because the main orebody does not outcrop on the surface, but is 'hidden' by hundreds of metres of practically barren overburden. The lower open pit in the satellite image on the right is the main
Escondida mine, but the upper two are
107:, and 10% Mitsubishi Materials. Escondida is managed by a seven-person Owners' Council designated by the four owners, and is both the largest known copper reserve and the largest foreign investment in Chile.
193:, (CUT, an association of Chilean trade unionists) met with the Escondida workers on 17 August 2006, and said that "what is happening at Escondida puts back onto the agenda a new nationalisation of copper,
64:'s Zaldívar mine. The second Escondida open pit, Escondida Norte, had not been established when the image was taken, but is now immediately to the right (east) of the larger Zaldívar pit.
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2006 financial reports showed a cumulative investment of US$ 5.64 billion, and at year end June 2013, Escondida accounted for approximately 5 percent of all copper production.
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and sold off its mineral interests. BHP bought these and then sold a 30% interest to Rio Tinto and 10% to JECO. It subsequently sold 2.5% to the
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incorporated in 2010, "to increase their ownership in
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Yacimientos
Metaliferous de Chile, Ruiz Fuller & Peebles, Santiago 1988
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False color satellite image of the Escondida Mine, courtesy of NASA
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In 1978, J David Lowell proposed an exploration program along the
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Results for January – December 2007, Minera Escondida website
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Ownership changed when BHP acquired Utah Mining and then
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285:: "JECO Corp", Chile. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
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398:Workers hold out for pay raise in Escondida
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161:Chilean economy and the world copper market
95:with a 10% share, adding 2.5% ownership by
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790:Cockatoo Docks & Engineering Company
328:"Escondida". Retrieved January 17, 2017.
32:) is a mining company that operates two
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753:(17% LNG phase, 8% domestic gas phase)
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537:NASA - visible and near infrared image
461:Union votes to end Chile copper strike
441:Chile copper mine workers begin strike
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187:Arturo Martinez, the chairman of the
1085:Rio Tinto (corporation) subsidiaries
305:Minera Escondida Annual Report 2006
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246:Mineral Commodity Summary - Copper
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207:Chilean nationalization of copper
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144:International Finance Corporation
1080:Copper mining companies of Chile
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190:Central Unitaria de Trabajadores
532:NASA - shortwave infrared image
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481:A new nationalization of copper
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421:Mine closure lifts copper price
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385:Mine closure lifts copper price
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987:BHP Group Limited v Impiombato
981:Ok Tedi environmental disaster
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725:Kambalda Nickel Concentrator
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527:Minera Escondida Foundation
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71:The mine is owned 57.5% by
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43:, 170 km southeast of
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105:Nippon Mining & Metals
89:Nippon Mining & Metals
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28:(which means 'hidden' in
832:Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine
751:North West Shelf Venture
259:Minera escondida website
184:and stopped production.
1002:BHP Mitsubishi Alliance
730:Kwinana Nickel Refinery
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283:Business News Americas
91:, with 20% ownership;
87:, with 70% ownership;
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1051:24.26944°S 69.07056°W
837:Richards Bay Minerals
373:Five year copper spot
165:Further information:
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1056:-24.26944; -69.07056
817:Newcastle Steelworks
746:Mount Newman railway
122:copper belt between
93:Mitsubishi Materials
1047: /
715:Goldsworthy railway
618:Goonyella Riverside
1008:between BHP &
971:BHP Billiton Tower
848:Whyalla Steelworks
801:Ekati Diamond Mine
467:2009-02-13 at the
447:2009-02-13 at the
427:2009-02-11 at the
404:2009-02-13 at the
359:2009-02-09 at the
311:2008-12-17 at the
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232:2009-02-09 at the
176:Chilean treasury.
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39:mines in the
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905:Philip Aiken
872:Acquisitions
822:Ok Tedi Mine
780:BHP Shipping
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47:in northern
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1090:Antofagasta
1054: /
879:Oz Minerals
649:Olympic Dam
633:Mount Keith
97:JECO 2 Ltd.
45:Antofagasta
1069:Categories
1042:69°04′14″W
1039:24°16′10″S
1010:Mitsubishi
1004:, a 50/50
1000:Assets of
955:Colin Syme
665:Resolution
660:Peak Downs
213:References
99:, another
85:Mitsubishi
884:Petrohawk
785:BlueScope
623:Jimblebar
612:Escondida
522:Escondida
506:ADN Mundo
487:La Nación
156:Escondida
140:Getty Oil
138:acquired
81:JECO Corp
77:Rio Tinto
75:; 30% by
26:Escondida
1022:Category
796:Comsteel
702:Atlantis
628:Leinster
606:Cerrejón
465:Archived
445:Archived
425:Archived
402:Archived
357:Archived
309:Archived
263:Archived
230:Archived
201:See also
120:porphyry
55:Overview
34:open pit
843:South32
812:Lysaght
587:Current
114:History
30:Spanish
24:Minera
898:People
768:Former
756:VF2388
682:Yarrie
671:Saraji
601:Area C
580:Assets
136:Texaco
37:copper
964:Other
855:(40%)
839:(37%)
803:(80%)
792:(38%)
737:(24%)
706:(44%)
694:Other
684:(85%)
678:(85%)
676:Yandi
667:(50%)
656:(85%)
645:(85%)
614:(58%)
608:(33%)
594:Mines
49:Chile
1075:BHP
573:BHP
73:BHP
1071::
704:PQ
503:,
484:,
412:^
333:^
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197:.
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