SANTIAGO – Chilean copper miner Antofagasta is evaluating building a new concentrator plant at its Centinela mine that would cost around $3 billion, the CEO of the company was quoted telling a local daily on Sunday.
Antofagasta's copper production rose 3% to 725 300 t last year, allowing the company to weigh potential expansion projects and upgrades, Ivan Arriagada said, according to an interview published in La Tercera.
"The best option is to build a new concentrator plant (at Centinela), and we're in the feasibility stage of that initiative," Arriagada was quoted saying in the paper. He added that it would cost between $2.7-billion and $3-billion.
Antofagasta has forecast its copper output will rise to 750 000 t to 790 000 t this year.
Antofagasta did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours.