mine · Chile

El Teniente

The largest underground copper mine in the world, in operation for over a century.

OperatingProductionProject score 80

Operator

Codelco

Country

Chile

Mine life

40 yrs

Capex

—

Profile

Resource, economics and jurisdiction

Resource: Extensive deep porphyry resource accessed through a new mine level project.
Production: Around 350 kt of copper annually.
Economics: Structural projects required to sustain output as depth increases.
Infrastructure: Extensive underground rail network and on-site concentration.
Jurisdiction: Very low risk
Ownership: Codelco 100%
Region: OHiggins Region

Overview

The largest underground copper mine in the world, in operation for over a century.

Methodology

Version v0.1

Resource Quality: 84 (weight 1.2) — Grade, continuity and metallurgical complexity of the resource.
Project Scale: 83 (weight 1) — Annual output potential relative to the global market for its primary mineral.
Development Stage: 82 (weight 0.9) — How far the asset has advanced toward or through production.
Jurisdiction: 80 (weight 1.1) — Political stability, permitting predictability and rule of law.
Infrastructure: 76 (weight 0.9) — Access to power, water, transport and processing capacity.
Economics: 75 (weight 1.2) — Cost position and margin resilience through the price cycle.
Strategic Importance: 81 (weight 1) — Relevance to national critical mineral strategies and allied supply chains.
Supply-Chain Value: 77 (weight 1) — Whether the asset relieves a genuine downstream bottleneck.
Sustainability: 80 (weight 0.9) — Carbon intensity, water use, tailings approach and community standing.
Execution Risk: 72 (weight 1) — Technical, financing and schedule risk to reaching nameplate output. Higher is lower risk.

Materials

Copper is the primary conductor of the electrified economy, used wherever electricity or heat must move efficiently.

Assets

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