en.Wedoany.com Reported - Chuquicamata Subterránea has completed its 2026 major overhaul (MM26). The overhaul, which lasted over 30 days and mobilized nearly 6,000 people, is one of the most complex technical and industrial execution processes in global underground mining today.
Underground Mine Maintenance Manager Rodrigo Madrid stated that the maintenance achieved high standards in safety, quality, and personnel commitment. He described it as a highly complex maintenance operation involving multidisciplinary preparation, engineering, coordination, and collaboration.
Key tasks completed during the shutdown included replacing conveyor belts C01 and C02, considered the highest-tension belts in the mining industry; replacing the Overland conveyor belt (OLC) system connecting underground operations to the concentrator plant; replacing the drive pulley of the Overland conveyor belt; and performing major overhauls on three primary crushers.
Madrid emphasized that this was a unique intervention worldwide, not only due to the characteristics of the conveyor belts and the complexity of the system but also because the specialized team invested over 10 years in planning, preparation, and development. He noted that Chuquicamata has continuously strengthened the application of the Maintenance Operating System (SOMA) over the years, standardizing processes, enhancing planning, and consolidating technical capabilities, thereby ensuring the successful completion of MM26.
Ore Transport Maintenance Supervisor Víctor Yáñez pointed out that the team's resilience was key to tackling the work, with safety always at the core. He said each phase was executed through planning, control, and constant attention to personnel protection, ultimately achieving an accident-free intervention, with the management area reaching a record of 9 million hours without accidents.
Underground Maintenance Executive Chief Engineer Pamela Bolaños praised the collaborative spirit demonstrated throughout the process. She believes that a team focused on a common goal, with safety and quality as the foundation of every task, was crucial to achieving this result.
Planning Supervisor Andrés Lagos stated that MM26 has left important lessons for the operational continuity of Chuquicamata. He suggested that the experience gained during the process should be valued, the knowledge generated captured, and the learning transformed into a foundation for future development. The main challenge lies in planning future maintenance early and strengthening planning and preparation capabilities to successfully address future scenarios.
The completion of MM26 lays the foundation for more reliable and better-prepared operations at the Chuquicamata Underground Mine and the Chuquicamata Division to meet future production challenges, while consolidating technical and human resource capabilities.
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