Process

Michilla operates both an underground and an open pit mine and also buys copper ore from independent contractors working within Michilla's properties.

The ore is crushed and heap leached, and the resulting solution containing the disolved copper is transported to the SX-EW plant where it is treated in a single continuous process using seawater in the system.This technical innovation, which was developed within the company, has significantly reduced costs in a desert region where fresh water is a scarce and expensive resource.

The cathodes produced are trucked by Train Ltda, the Group's road transport subsidiary, to the port of Antofagasta for onward shipment to world markets.