Sustainable development is a commitment that has been assumed in Chile by the public and private sectors. In mining, the state-owned Codelco has signed several sustainability commitments and, specifically, the El Teniente Division has implemented important and innovative electromobility, tailings mineral recovery and circular economy projects.
Chile is a country where public and private companies are engaged in sustainable mining. The National Mining Policy 2050, the Climate Change Law and the sector's adaptation plans have promoted sustainable industry, which allows the development of mining processes that are responsible with the environment and the communities.
Chilean copper mining accounts for nearly 60% of exports and 12% of the Gross Domestic Product. Therefore, the country considers it a priority to migrate towards clean energy, and to make efficient use of water and energy, promoting a circular economy that recovers useful minerals and reduces mining waste.
The Minister of Mining, Aurora Williams, points out that "mining in the world is challenged. It must provide critical minerals to face climate change and the transition to clean energies". In Chile -she adds- "the development of the industry has to be responsible, in full environmental and social balance, going beyond the standards that our country has, which are quite demanding. Providing critical minerals with a traceability of sustainability is important, as it is highly valued in international markets".
The El Teniente Division of Codelco, the state mining company, is working towards this goal. By 2030 it expects to have a 100% supply of clean energy, reduce 65% of industrial waste, increase electromobility in transport and mining machinery, and reduce inland water consumption by 60%. "Our purpose is to be a pillar of sustainable development both in Chile and in the world," says Rubén Alvarado, Codelco's executive president. However, he emphasizes that when referring to 'sustainable', he is also talking about creating value for the surrounding communities, because "this cannot be at the expense of the neighbors of those communities closest to our operations".
"Chile is essentially a mining country. Therefore, to the extent that we as Codelco and the mining companies that also operate in the country have high sustainability standards and are respectful, it is a clear contribution to the image and the development of the positioning of our country", concludes Rubén Alvarado.
Sustainable projects at El Teniente
- Electromobility: Operation of electric buses and taxibuses within its operations, including a total of 104 vehicles of two different models, manufactured by Reborn Electric Motors (REM). It also has a network of electric trains that transport minerals for processing.
- Preservation of local biodiversity: The Hacienda Cauquenes nursery, which operates under an agreement with the Forestry Institute, grows the trees used in the reforestation and compensation plans for the territories. In the last fifteen years, a total area of nearly 2,000 hectares has been planted, equivalent to more than 2 million trees, with species such as quillay, peumo, litre, hawthorn, boldo and maitén, as well as canelo, lingue, naranjillo and Chilean palm, which are in the conservation category.
- Circular economy with ferrous scrap: It is removed by AZA and transformed into sustainable steel. Part of it returns to the Division transformed into saferock bolts for rock reinforcement, which are used together with mesh in the fortification of production tunnels.
- End-of-Use Tires (ELT): These are taken from the El Teniente Waste and Handling Center (CMRIS) to the Arrigoni Environmental Plant where they are decomposed at high temperatures in a process called pyrolysis, which produces steel that is recycled as industrial flooring; black coal, which can be used as fuel; and HANFU Oil, an alternative to diesel, which can be used in boilers, furnaces and motor generators.
So far, 6,400 tons of end-of-life tires (ELT), 21,000 tons of ferrous scrap, 70 tons of pre-crushed plastic and 8,000 tons of wood have been recovered. This means that the waste becomes part of another production chain, either as an input or as energy.
Fresh and old tailings mining
Minera Valle Central recovers around 28 thousand tons of copper and 1.5 million pounds of molybdenum each year from El Teniente's fresh and old tailings materials. A public-private alliance that allows 7% of the state-owned company's copper production to come from the treatment of mining waste.
At the Cauquenes tailings dam, which operated until 1977, minerals are extracted with hydraulic monitoring, i.e. with pressurized water, and operated from a control room located eight kilometers away. In addition, the fresh tailings transiting through a channel from the Colon facilities to the Caren reservoir are treated in the mine's mills.
According to Cristián Cáceres, general manager of Minera Valle Central Chile is at the forefront, "with this alliance with Codelco, valuable elements are produced through waste that, on this scale, no one else in the world does".
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