The belt system will deliver copper ore from the underground mine directly to the concentrator plant, 13 kilometers away from the mine site. When complete, the conveyor system will be one of the world's largest and most complex, covering both steep gradients and long distances, with conveyors flights powered up to 20 MW and 55 MW in total. This is same amount of energy typically needed to power 41, homes. In the final stage the system will transport over 11, tons of material per hour, the same freight as approximately wagon trains. The order consists of a complete power and automation solution which includes products such as gearless drives, motors, instrumentation and power product supply.
ABB to automate 13-kilometer long conveyor system at Chuquicamata copper mine in Chile
Everything about Chuquicamata is vast. In the same year, the company invested more than 50 million US dollars Chuquicamata is located in the driest place on earth — the Atacama Desert, west of the Andes mountain range. Tests executed by NASA have shown that not even micro-organisms can survive in this extreme environment.
Operations at Chuquicamata began in , and today, the mine employs well over people. It produces approximately , tons per year of electrorefined and electrowon cathodes with a purity of Metso has provided technology and services to Chuquicamata for more than 40 years, so when the mine was looking for a supplier to execute a major overhaul of 33 grinding mills as an integrated service, Metso was a natural choice. Chuquicamata employs two different extraction processes based on the ore type.