Chile's Centinela Mine Extends Life by 30 Years with Un-desalinated Seawater Expansion

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Nicolás Rivera, General Manager of Minera Centinela, a subsidiary of Antofagasta Minerals, recently spoke to MINERÍA CHILENA about the main challenges and prospects in operations regarding expansion, innovation, and sustainability. Located in the Antofagasta Region of Chile, the mine is considered by the group as one of the largest mining investments in the country over the past five years. It is currently in a critical phase of implementing its growth plan, with operational efficiency and safety as core priorities.

Rivera stated that the mine is working to consolidate more efficient, safer, and more sustainable operations, emphasizing that progress in automation, water management, and community relations will define the company's strategy this year. In terms of sustainability, Minera Centinela continues to advance the use of un-desalinated seawater and renewable energy, employs paste tailings, and is launching pioneering initiatives such as the Rajo tailings storage facility. These actions are accompanied by close relationships with neighboring communities Sierra Gorda and Michilla.

Regarding operational expansion, new phases of the Mirador and El Llano open pits have been approved. These initiatives will enable the mine to supply ore and achieve future increases in sulfide and oxide production. Meanwhile, Encuentro Sulfuros, the second autonomous open pit and one of the main pits feeding the new concentrator plant, is gradually increasing the number of operating equipment. As a company, it is necessary to double production capacity and extend the mine's life by 30 years.

In terms of technology application, automation is making a significant difference by reducing personnel exposure to risks and increasing productivity. Process digitization leverages advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to optimize decision-making, and its Integrated Operations Management (GIO) model enables real-time monitoring of critical processes from the city of Antofagasta, hundreds of kilometers from the operational site.

Minera Centinela is a pioneer in using un-desalinated seawater, a technology adopted over 15 years ago and assessed as a positive measure that allows efficient copper production without using desalinated water. Facing climate change, the company continues to improve water efficiency, with solutions like paste tailings recovering large amounts of water and reinjecting it into the production chain. The Rajo tailings storage facility project, currently being launched, utilizes an abandoned open pit and can recover and reinject water into the process up to three times. Resilience criteria are being incorporated into operational planning, considering scenarios with greater climate variability that require appropriate infrastructure and more integrated water resource management.