Name of the Mine  
Radomiro Tomić mine.

Location
The mine is located 3 000 m above sea level, in Calama, Antofagasta region, Chile.

Mine Owner/s   
Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile, or Codelco.

Brief Description
The Radomiro Tomić mine is one of the biggest openpit copper mines in the world. It is covered by 276 mining concessions. It comprises an openpit mine, leach plant and solvent extraction-electrowinning.

Brief History  
The mine has been operating since 1997, with Codelco undertaking significant exploration and development efforts to tap into its copper-rich deposits. Over the years, the mine has undergone expansions and optimisations to enhance production efficiency and meet growing global demand for copper.

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Copper.

Secondary Metals/Minerals  
Gold and molybdenum.

Geology/Mineralisation  
The mine is situated within the prolific copper-rich mineral belt of northern Chile, characterised by extensive porphyry copper deposits. Mineralisation primarily occurs within intrusive igneous rocks, particularly porphyritic granodiorite and diorite, with copper mineralisation associated with chalcopyrite and bornite.

Reserves  
The mine has reserves of 1.39-billion tons of sulphides, with an average grade of 0.5%.

Resources  
Mineral resources were estimated at 5.23-billion tonnes with a resource cutoff grade of 0.43% in 2022.

Type of Mine  
Openpit.

Mining Method  
Copper leaching with copper cathode production, and production of concentrate at the Chuquicamata concentrator.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment  
The mine includes large-scale mining equipment – haul trucks, excavators and drills, processing plants and tailings storage facilities, as well as support infrastructure – roads, power supply and water management systems.

Prospects  
Greater sulphide extraction capacity from Radomiro Tomic is to be treated at the Chuquicamata concentrator, compensating for a slower ramp-up of the underground mine.

Contact Details  
Codelco
Tel +56 2 26903000
Email codelcoir@codelco.cl

Sources  
Codelco. Website: www.codelco.com
Codelco. Comprehensive report 2022.
Codelco. Interim consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2023.