Ministro Hales mine
Ministro Hales Ministro Hales | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Antofagasta Region | |
| Country | Chile |
| Coordinates | 22°22′54.56″S 68°54′44.52″W / 22.3818222°S 68.9123667°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper |
| Production | 126,000 tons of copper |
| Financial year | 2023 |
| History | |
| Opened | 2010 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Codelco |
Ministro Hales is an open-pit copper mine in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. It lies at an altitude of 2,600 meters above sea level in an area of cold desert climate in the inland commune of Calama.[1][2] The mine is located halfway between the city of Calama and the mine of Chuquicamata.[1] Codelco owns and operates the mine.[2] Ground work in the mine begun in 2011 with a large-scale pre-stripping operation.[3] In 2024 Codelco planned to extend the mine life for several decades with the closure phase beginning in 2055 and ending in 2061.[4]
In 2023 it produced 126,000 tons of copper down from 152,000 tons in 2022 and 181,700 tons in 2021.[5] It is named after Alejandro Hales (1923–2001) who served as the Minister of Mining from September 1992 to March 1994.[6]
References
- ^ a b "Ministro Hales Mine, Chuquicamata District, Calama, El Loa Province, Antofagasta, Chile". Mindat. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
- ^ a b "Ministro Hales". Consejo Minero (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ "Codelco – División Ministro Hales". Guía Minera (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "Codelco analiza extensión de vida útil de mina Ministro Hales". BNamericas (in Spanish). 2024-02-01. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
- ^ Anuario de estadisticas del cobre y otros minerales [Yearbook: Copper and Other Mineral Statistics: 2004 2023] (Report). Comisión Chilena del Cobre. 2024.
- ^ "Alejandro Hales Jamarne". Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Archived from the original on August 19, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2016.