Chile’s Antofagasta Region, 1,350 km north of Santiago
Shareholders:
70% Antofagasta plc, 30% Marubeni Corporation
Ore Reserves:
228.1 million tonnes @ 0.58% copper
Mineral Resources:
260.3 million tonnes @ 0.58% copper
Figures as of December 2011
El Tesoro is an oxide deposit located in Chile’s Antofagasta Region, 1,350 km north of Santiago. It produces copper cathodes using a solvent-extraction electro-winning process. It currently comprises three open pits – Tesoro Central, Mirador and Tesoro North-East – which, along with oxide ore from Esperanza, feed a heap-leach operation and a Run-of-Mine (“ROM”) leaching operation.
For 2012, the forecast for cathode production is approximately 100,000 tonnes which will mostly come from the Mirador pit which commenced operation during 2011.
