Chile, the world’s largest copper producer, aims to strengthen its smelting capacity

By James Atwood

Chile, the world’s largest copper producer, is opening a public discussion on a new policy for increasing domestic metal processing.

The current government reiterates a goal of having more than one project under development by the end of its term.

Although Chile mines more metal than anywhere else in the world, more than half of its production is sent abroad in semi-processed form, while the last smelting plant built in the country dates back to 1990.

Strengthening smelting capacity is a priority for the government, Mining Undersecretary Willy Kracht said in a speech to mark the start of a participatory process for the new policy.

He pointed out the waste involved in exporting copper in concentrate, traceability, and geopolitical considerations.

He said that new-generation smelters are also clean enough to coexist with populated areas.

In January, state-owned mining giant Codelco signed an agreement with Europe’s largest smelter, Aurubis, to analyze possible areas of collaboration regarding smelting and circular economy projects in Chile.

With information from Bloomberg

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