Integrated exploration drilling services provider Boart Longyear was, in May, contracted to conduct exploration drilling at BHP Billiton-operated Minera Escondida copper mine in northern Chile’s Atacama Desert, says Boart Longyear Latin America drilling services GM Scott Whitt.

Minera Escondida is located 170 km south-east of Antofagasta, at an altitude of 3 100 m, and is owned by diversified mining major BHP Billiton (57.5%), Rio Tinto (30%), Jeco Corporation (10%) and Jeco 2 (2.5%).

During the life of the contract, Boart Longyear will deploy at least 16 rigs to the site and will provide a variety of drilling techniques, including semi-automated, hands-free diamond coring, reverse circulation drilling and the supply of rotary rigs for mine dewatering, explains Whitt.

“Being selected by Minera Escondida to do the exploration work on the mine is an honour for the local team of drillers and support personnel [and we aim] to prove on a daily basis that we can deliver safe metres to one of the world’s top miners,” says Whitt.

“We are grateful that Minera Escondida has selected Boart Longyear and are excited to start drilling,” he adds.

Mining in Chile
According to audit, tax and advisory services provider KPMG’s Chile mining guide, the country has an abundance of metals and minerals, especially in its northern desert region. However, none of these metals and minerals is more important than copper, for which Chile is widely known as the world’s number one producer. Chile’s fine copper reserves are estimated to be in excess of 100-million tons.

Copper has made the mining sector a key contributor to Chile’s economy, although the country is also the world’s fourteenth-largest gold producer and contributes more than half the global production of lithium.

Chile also has a reputation as one of the most attractive business destinations in South America, with a well-functioning market eco-nomy and sophisticated financial markets.

Nearly 90% of Chile’s trade is conducted under free-trade agreements. The country’s mining and environmental regulations are well defined and government is working towards sustainable development.

Chile’s tax regime is currently stable, but government is under pressure to increase company tax rates.

Chile currently has more than $60-billion invested in planned infrastructure projects, including transportation and power trans-mission projects. With Chile’s strong set of attributes, advisory services provider the Economist Intelligence Unit expects the country to attract $28-billion in foreign direct investment by 2017.

About Boart Longyear
Boart Longyear’s global drilling services division operates in more than 40 countries worldwide, servicing a diverse mining customer base that spans a wide range of commodities, including copper, gold, nickel, zinc and uranium, among other metals and minerals.

Meanwhile, the global products division designs, manufactures and sells drilling equip-ment, performance tooling, and aftermarket parts and services to customers in more than 100 countries worldwide.