RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service

Situation Update No. 2

Posted:2010-02-27, 10:51:29 [UTC]

Ref.no.: LS-20100227-25107-CHL

Situation Update No. 2
On 2010-02-28 at 15:52:30 [UTC]

Event: Landslide
Location: Chile Libertador General Bernardo OʼHiggins Los Bronces

Chile's biggest copper mines affected by a massive earthquake were set to resume operations on Sunday, but analysts feared power outages could still curtail supplies from the world's No. 1 producer. Ricardo Alvarez, manager at Chile's fourth largest mine El Teniente, which accounts for more than 7 percent of national output, told Reuters the facilities were undamaged in the 8.8 magnitude quake on Saturday and that roads to the exporting port of San Antonio were in good condition. The quake killed more than 300 people and had forced Codelco to shut the El Teniente complex as well as its Andina copper mine, while Anglo-American shut its Los Bronces and El Soldado mines, outages that halted around one-fifth of Chile's total production. "We will most likely resume all operations in the afternoon shift," at 1900 GMT, Alvarez said. "We will resume operations in all areas and obviously that will be gradual; first the mine, then the plant and then the (Caletones) smelter." He declined to say how long it would take the mine to get back to normal output levels but said the deposit had no major damages and that energy problems were being resolved. The century-old 400,000 tonne per year El Teniente is the world's biggest underground copper mine. An official with state metals firm Codelco that operates El Teniente and nearby 210,000 tonne Andina said he hoped both operations would return to normal by day's end.