Codelco–Glencore Chile smelter: design, logistics and capex notes for mine planners
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Codelco has signed an MoU with Glencore for a new Chilean copper smelter designed to treat 1.5 million dry metric tonnes of concentrate per year, with Codelco committing up to 800,000 tonnes of feed annually while Glencore handles design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance. A pre-feasibility study is starting now, with a binding agreement targeted for the first half of next year, construction from 2030 and start-up between 2032 and 2033. Locating the plant near multiple copper producers is intended to cut concentrate haulage, improve operational flexibility and keep refining value in-country.
Technical Brief
- Plant is specified to treat 1.5 million dry metric tonnes of copper concentrate annually under “strict environmental standards”.
- Codelco’s supply commitment of up to 800,000 t/y leaves ~700,000 t/y capacity for third‑party concentrates.
- Glencore’s scope covers full EPC+O&M responsibility, shifting construction and operational risk off Codelco’s balance sheet.
- Codelco explicitly excludes direct build or financing, signalling an offtake‑plus‑tolling style participation rather than ownership.
- Partner selection followed a competitive tender, indicating multiple technical/commercial smelter proposals were evaluated for Chilean conditions.
- Locating the smelter near existing copper producers is intended to shorten concentrate haulage routes and reduce logistics costs.
Our Take
With Chile already accounting for about 70% of global mine production in the referenced column, a 1.5 Mt/y smelter backed by Codelco and Glencore would further lock in Latin America’s role not just as an ore supplier but as a processing hub, complementing the EU–IDB critical minerals value-chain push highlighted in the 2 December Latin America funding piece.
Glencore’s involvement here echoes its presence in the Osisko Metals Gaspé copper financing, signalling that the trader–miner is positioning across both upstream copper projects and downstream processing, which could give it stronger leverage over concentrate flows from regions like Congo into Chilean smelting capacity.
The long lead time to a potential 2030 construction start and 2032–33 operations means this Chilean copper and cobalt-capable facility is being timed for the next investment cycle in critical minerals, rather than today’s market, which operators should factor into long-term offtake and decarbonisation planning.
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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