Cerro Negro Norte mine
Cerro Negro Norte Cerro Negro Norte | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Atacama Region | |
| Country | Chile |
| Coordinates | 27°06′20″S 70°20′43″W / 27.1055166667°S 70.3453638889°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Iron ore concentrate |
| History | |
| Opened | 2010–2014 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Compañía Minera del Pacífico |
| Year of acquisition | 1971 |
Cerro Negro Norte (CNN[1]) is an open-pit iron mine in northern Chile about 30 km north of the city of Copiapó in inland Atacama Region. The ore of the mine is one of various iron oxide-apatite (IOA) ores that are part of the north-south Chilean Iron Belt.
History
Cerro Negro Norte was originally mined in the 1960s by Compañía Minera Santa Fe.[2] As part of the Allende administration's Chilean nationalization of iron the inactive of Cerro Negro Norte became state-owned in 1971 when the government expired all mining concessions of iron ore deposits that were not being mined.[3]
Cerro Negro Norte opened again in 2010–2014 and in 2021 it had a production capacity of 4 million tons of iron.[4][1] It produces iron ore concentrate that is transported as pulp in pipelines to the port of Punta Totoralillo located 55 km northwest of the mine.[1][5] The mine stores and processes iron ore from smaller mining companies.[1]
In 2014, plans for a desalination plant to provide water for mining operations at it and other mines was announced.[6]
As of 2025 Cerro Negro Norte was the newest of the mines owned and operated by Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP).[1] In early 2025 Compañía Minera del Pacífico submitted a plan to the Environmental Assessment Service to increase iron production capacity at the mine from 4 to 4.5 million metric tons.[1] Among other things the project seeks to improve are the conminution and concentrating plants.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Vera, Matías (2025-02-24). "CMP ingresa proyecto para aumentar producción en mina Cerro Negro Norte". Reporte Minero & Energético (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ Zambra, Jorge Eduardo (2018). "Década del '60: Ascenso y auge". Huasco Esencial [Essential Huasco] (in Spanish). Ediciones Mediodía en Punto. p. 152. ISBN 978-956-9170-35-5.
- ^ Danús, Hernán (2007). "IV. La minería del hierro y la industria siderúrgica". Crónicas mineras de medio siglo (1950-2000) (in Spanish). Santiago de Chile: RIL Editores. p. 149. ISBN 978-956-284-555-7.
- ^ "Cerro Negro Norte". Consejo Minero (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ^ "Cerro Negro Norte – Improvement Project". idom.com. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
- ^ Jamasmie, Cecilia (2014-04-16). "Chile's main iron-ore producer to invest $650 million this year". MINING.COM. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "Especial Proyectos Mineros: Cerro Negro Norte, Proyecto Angie y Fundición Hernán Videla Lira". Revista Nueva Minería y Energía (in Spanish). 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-08-17.