Complete modernization in less than a year

2007 Feb 13

Chile’s Sierra Miranda mine has set itself an ambitious goal for 2007 – to be rated as one of the most modern mines in Latin America. With Atlas Copco as its partner in the process, it is already well on its way.

The Sierra Miranda Mine, located about 60 kilometres northeast of the city of Antofagasta, is one of Chile?s largest underground mining operations and is well-known for using the most modern mining equipment available. The mine?s total production is 3.3 million tonnes per year, 1.1 million tonnes of which is waste rock from development work and the remaining 2.2 million tonnes is copper ore with an average grade of 0.75 percent.

The rock is volcanic andesite and the mineral deposit is principally copper malachite (copper pitch ore/chryssocholla) with sporadic atacamite. Three years ago, mine owner Mohammed Duk, started the first stage of modernizing the mine?s operations. This required the latest generation of equipment in order to improve the systems for extraction and the mining processes.

Epiroc operated under the trademark “Atlas Copco” prior to January 1, 2018.