BHP has submitted the New Escondida Concentrator project to the Environmental Impact Assessment System in Chile as part of its investment plan to ensure the sustainability of operations in the coming decades. The new concentrator will replace the production capacity of the historic Los Colorados plant, which is nearing the end of its operational life and whose investment is estimated to range between US$4.4 billion and US$5.9 billion.
The new concentrator is a central part of Escondida’s investment plan. Its implementation will have a positive impact on supplier development and job creation. An average of more than 2,500 workers are projected during the project’s construction, with peaks of approximately 6,000 people during the busiest months. If environmental approval is obtained, construction would begin, with first production estimated between 2031 and 2032. The new concentrator will allow Escondida to maintain its total processing capacity of 460,000 t/d of ore, enabling production to remain within currently approved levels.
BHP has previously said that the new plant would use a traditional comminution circuit design with two SAG mills, plus pebble crushing and ball milling (SABC) for more flexibility. This compares to the three SAG mills at Los Colorados. Its throughput capacity would be 45 Mt/y or 125,000 t/d and it would be able to utilise latent capacity following the shutdown of the Los Colorados concentrator in areas such as crushing, tailings transport, concentrate handling and other infrastructure. It will also incorporate innovation with industry-proven technologies in flotation using large mechanical cells and Hydrofloat coarse particle flotation (CPF). The 45 Mt/y compares to the Los Colorados throughout of 40 Mt/y. Water usage, however, will be reduced at 800 l/s instead of 1,200 l/s plus average recovery is expected to be 86-88% as opposed to 84%.
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