Deep in the Atacama Desert, giant electric shovels are transporting gray green sulfide ore in carts from open-air steps several kilometers above sea level. The workers looked at the newly erected construction fence in the distance and knew that the Escondida copper mine, which had been in operation since 1990 and had been the world's largest copper producer for many years, was about to turn a new page - BHP Billiton had obtained the first important environmental permit approved by the Antofagasta Environmental Assessment Committee in Chile, and the $14.7 billion expansion project had begun.

This approval is for the preliminary engineering of the project, including the renovation of the sulfide ore leaching system and the upgrade of power facilities, with a phase investment of approximately 1.3 billion US dollars. After the completion of the basic engineering, the enterprise will promote the extension of the mining area, upgrade the beneficiation plant, crushing and screening equipment, and other series. Subsequent stages still need to pass independent environmental assessments separately.

The Escondida copper mine has 4.97 billion tons of primary sulfide ore and 32 million tons of copper metal reserves. In 2015, the mineral copper production was 1.15 million tons, accounting for about 6% of the global total production. It is jointly operated by BHP Billiton holding 57.5%, Rio Tinto holding 30%, and a Japanese corporate consortium holding 12.5%. It is the copper mine with the highest individual production in the world.

After more than 30 years of high-intensity mining, the ore grade in the mining area has been decreasing year by year, and maintaining the existing production capacity requires systematic technological transformation. At the same time, electric vehicles, power grids, and data centers are driving up copper demand. BHP Billiton plans to use this round of expansion to increase the annual production of Escondida to over 2 million tons by the mid-2030s, extend the service life of mines, and consolidate global copper supply capacity.keywords:Foreign engineering construction news

Industry insiders point out that the expansion of Escondida is one of the largest mining investments in South America in recent years. In addition to directly driving local employment and tax revenue, it will also provide important long-term incremental support for the global copper market.Editor/Yang Meiling