El Tesoro is a located 200 kms northeast of Antofagasta, near Chuquicamata and the town of Calama. It comprises an open pit mine and SX-EW plant with the capacity to produce approximately 100,000 tonnes of copper cathodes annually. The current mine plan runs to 2020.
El Tesoro cost US$282 million to develop, of which US$197 million was provided by external debt finance. At the end of 2004 the debt was refinanced and reduced to US$100 million. This was fully repaid by the first half of 2008.