en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Sierra Gorda copper mine plans to invest $100 million in exploration work between 2028 and 2032, as part of the mine's long-term strategy to boost production and extend the operational life of the mine located in Chile's Antofagasta Region. Company General Manager Marcelo Bustos revealed this information in an interview with local media.
The copper mine is jointly operated by Poland's KGHM Polska Miedz (holding 55%) and Australia's South32 (holding 45%). The mine is currently advancing three medium-term initiatives to maintain its operational competitiveness in Chile's copper mining sector.
The first initiative is a total $100 million exploration program from 2028 to 2032, which will be submitted for environmental assessment in 2026. The second initiative is to extend the mine's operational life from the originally projected 2035 to 2049, an extension of 14 years, with the relevant approval process expected to begin in 2027 or 2028. The third initiative is to increase the daily ore processing capacity from 130,000 metric tons to 165,000 metric tons, an increase of approximately 27%, a decision that needs to be finalized within this year, aimed at maximizing the extraction efficiency of existing resources.
Sierra Gorda is an important project in the Antofagasta mining hub, a region that concentrates key mining infrastructure for Chile and even Latin America. This exploration and mine life extension strategy aligns with the industry trend of securing long-term resource reserves amid pressures for operational sustainability and decarbonization.
The above projects require regulatory and environmental approvals through environmental impact assessments, processes that involve community consultations and must verify sustainability standards in a key global copper supply region.
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