Anglo American–Codelco 2.7 Mt copper plan: design and value notes for mine planners
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Anglo American and Codelco have agreed a joint mine plan for the adjacent Los Bronces and Andina operations in Chile, targeting 2.7 Mt of additional copper over 21 years with minimal new capital and at least $5 billion in value creation. The integrated plan is expected to deliver about 120,000 t/year of extra low-cost copper, split 50:50, by optimising mine sequencing and shared use of existing infrastructure across the combined district northeast of Santiago. Execution hinges on securing Chilean environmental and other permits by 2030, with delays likely to push back the production ramp-up.
Technical Brief
- Agreement explicitly integrates pit development and mine sequencing across Los Bronces and Andina’s adjacent orebodies.
- Value uplift is quoted as “at least” $5 billion over the 21‑year integrated schedule.
- Codelco chair Bernardo Fontaine stresses stricter internal “thoroughness, discipline and commitment” requirements for any joint development.
- Anglo American’s partners Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsui & Co. remain in the ownership structure and are party to the deal.
- Combined district lies northeast of Santiago, leveraging one of the world’s largest contiguous copper resource bases.
- Collaboration is framed as an alternative to greenfield copper projects, aligning with Chile’s 6 Mt/year national output target by 2030.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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