Minera Zaldívar operates an open-pit mine where copper oxide is extracted by heap leaching. It is located at an average altitude of 3,000 meters above sea level, at 1,400 kilometers north of Santiago, and 175 kilometers southeast of the city of Antofagasta.
Links
- https://web.minerazaldivar.cl/
- https://goo.gl/maps/pm5k2fPBjZ9Ccdwv6
- https://www.mindat.org/loc-205851.html
Notes
Owner: Antofagasta (50%); Barrick (50%)
Start operations: 1995
Workforce: 3,000
Minerals mined: copper oxide minerals
Ore volume processed (Mtpa):
Ore grade:
Copper production:
Products:
Operations: open pit mine, mill, dump leach, heap leach, SX-EW, acid plant
Projects & highlights:
- The Zaldívar copper mine in Chile will be the country’s first mine to operate with 100 percent renewable electricity. The mine, a joint venture between Antofagasta and Barrick, recently signed a contract with Colbun S.A. that calls for Colbun to supply Zaldívar electricity derived from hydro, solar, or wind sources for a ten-year period beginning in July 2020.
TCM status: recipient
Köppen-Geiger climate zone: BWk - Cold desert climate
Media
- Jun-26: Antofagasta to spend $900M extending Zaldívar mine to 2051 (checked 11-Jun-26)
- Jan-26: Finning says labor pact reached to end blockade of road to Chile’s Escondida, Zaldivar mines (checked 27-Jan-26)
- May 25: Antofagasta’s Zaldivar mine in Chile secures environmental approvals through 2028 (checked 22-May-25)
Created: May-25; updated Jan-26, Jun-26