QUEBRADA BLANCA

摘要

As Quebrada Blanca approaches the end of its mine life, copper cathode production has declined from 80ktpa to around20ktpa. AME expects Quebrada Blanca will be reinvented as a large-scale copper concentrate producer by 2022.Mining of supergene ore will cease in 2018, while leaching and metal recovery is to continue to early 2020. Teck plansmining the hypogene reserve below the mined out supergene ore. The US$4.7bn Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) projectincludes expansion of the open pit, a 51Mtpa concentrator, desalination and concentrate dewatering plants, a port facilityand 165km long pipelines. Forecast output is 275ktpa of copper and 7.7ktpa of molybdenum in concentrates during thefirst five years of an initial 25-year mine life. Teck aims to bring in a partner and reduce its interest in QB2 to 60% to 70%,make a development decision in the December Quarter of 2018 and commence production in 2021.