List of copper smelters in Chile

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File:20150125110716 Caletones smelter - cropped.jpg
View of Codelco's Fundición Caletones smelter as of 2015 that serves El Teniente mine.

The following is a list of copper smelters in Chile that have been active at some point after 1950.

Chile is the world's largest producer of copper[1] and activity provides a substantial part of the Chilean state's revenue: slightly less than 6% in 2020, with state-owned copper company Codelco alone generating 2.6% of state revenue.[2][A] In 2024 copper processed in Chilean copper smelters made up 33% of the value of Chilean mining products exports while unrefined copper concentrate represented 50.9% of the value of Chilean mining exports.[3] Since the 1990s no new copper smelters have been built in Chile.[4]

Copper smelters that serves a specific mine is called integrated smelters. A custom copper smelter is one receiving or open to receive ores from multiple mines. Thus, these smelters tend to be less fine-tuned than smelters integrated with specific mines. Custom smelters tend also to be located at strategic locations, such as near port facilities or at important crossroads in mining districts.[5]

Copper smelters in Chile
Name Type Region Year of
opening		 Capacity
kTon/year as of 2015		 Commentary
Fundición Altonorte Custom Antofagasta 1993 350 Fundición Altonorte is a copper smelter plant in La Negra, 25 km southeast of the city of Antofagasta in northern Chile. Owned by Glencore.[6]
Fundición Caletones Integrated–El Teniente O'Higgins 1922 400 It is owned by Codelco and serves the mine of El Teniente.[7] The smelter is the birthplace of the Teniente Converter technology, the first of which begun operations in 1977.[8]
Fundición Chagres Integrated–El Soldado Valparaíso 1917 140 It is majority-owned by Anglo American Sur.[5] It lies at 400 meters above sea level and reported to produce 110,100 tons of copper anodes in 2023.[9]
Fundición Chuquicamata Integrated–Chuquicamata Antofagasta 1952 450 It is owned by Codelco and serves the mine of Chuquicamata.[10]
Fundición Paipote Custom Atacama 1952 84[B] Fundicón Paipote is a copper smelter plant owned by ENAMI near Copiapó. The smelter has been paralyzed since February 2024 for a major overhaul.[12][13] At the time of paralization the smelter generated economic losses for ENAMI.[12]
Fundición Potrerillos Integrated–El Salvador Atacama 1928 177 It is owned by Codelco and serves El Salvador mine.[5][14] In the early 2020s Codelco has recognised limited automation and increased environmental regulations as challenges for the viability of Fundición Potrerillos.[15]
Fundición Ventanas Custom Valparaíso 1964 105 Fundición Ventanas was a copper smelter plant in Quintero, Valparaíso Region, Chile. It is owned by Codelco and was formerly owned by ENAMI. It closed permanently in 2023.[16][17][18]

Notes

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  1. ^ From 2001 to 2014 Codelco alone stood for 10% of the state's income.[2]
  2. ^ A USD 1,700 million overhaul plan consider a new cathode production capacity of 240 million tons per year.[11] Up to February 2024 it had production capacity of 84 million tons annually.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Copper production in 2024 by USGS
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  7. ^ Devia et al. 2019, p. 109.
  8. ^ Devia et al. 2019, p. 110.
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  14. ^ Salvador: Fundición de Potrerillos cumplió 75 años de funcionamiento
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Bibliography
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