Sep. 13, 2022
Receipt of the FY2022 National Mining Society Award by Quebrada Blanca Copper Mine in the Republic of Chile
Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 project ("QB2 Project"), that Teck Resources ("Teck"), Sumitomo Metal Mining ("SMM") and Sumitomo Corporation ("SC") promotes, was given the FY2022 National Mining Society Award by the Sociedad Nacional de Minería (SONAMI), the Chilean mining industry association.
SONAMI has a membership of over 70 mining companies in Chile and selects one company each in the categories of large-scale mines and small- or medium-scale mines for its award every August.
This year, the award was presented to QB2 Project in recognition of its contribution to the development of a sustainable and responsible mining industry. The ceremony was also attended by the President of the Republic of Chile, Gabriel Boric, the Ministers of Economy, Nicolás Grau, and of Mining, Marcela Hernando.
Overview of Quebrada Blanca Copper Mine
- Location: Tarapacá Region, Republic of Chile (Northern Chile, 1,500 km from Santiago, 240 km southeast of Iquique, altitude 4,400 m)
- Extraction method: Open-pit mining
- Metallurgical operation: Copper and molybdenum concentrates are produced by floatation method.
- Reserves: Copper approximately 7 million tonnes
- Resources: Copper approximately 24 million tonnes (*originally 18 million in 2019)
- Mine life: Approximately 28 years (only by Reserves)
- Average annual production volume (metal volume contained): Copper 240,000 tonnes, molybdenum and silver
Project area layout
From the left, shipping port and seawater desalination plant, transmission line (purple line), pipelines (light blue line for fresh water, orange line for copper concentrate), QB copper mine facilities (Mill Plant, Tailings Management Facility, Open-pit Mine)
