(Facility) Las Ventanas Copper Smelter

Plant in Valparaiso, Chile with commodities Copper, Gold, Selenium, Silver, Sulfur, Sulfuric Acid
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Nearby scientific data
  7. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  8. Ownership information
  9. Production statistics
  10. Links to other databases
  11. Bibliographic references
  12. General comments
  13. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10230969
MAS/MILS ID 3370491001
Record type Site
Current site name (Facility) Las Ventanas Copper Smelter
Alternate or previous names Ventanas Smelter

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Plant
Geographic coordinates: -71.49954, -32.72747 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 5000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Valparaiso(province)

Chile(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Chile Valparaiso

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary
Selenium Secondary
Silver Secondary
Sulfur, Sulfuric Acid Secondary

Nearby scientific data

Plant (1) -71.49954, -32.72747

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Processing Plant
Development status Plant
Commodity type Both
Significant Yes
Year of first production 1960
Plant type Smelter
Plant subcategory Smelter-Pyrometallurgy
Milling method Pyrometallurgy Unspecified

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Empresa Nacional De Mineria (Enami)
    Interest 100
    Home office Chile
    Year 1979

Production statistics

  • Year 1980
    Description Copper Anode 94400 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 94400mt
  • Year 1981
    Description Copper Anode 98400 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 98400mt
  • Year 1982
    Description Copper Anode 96700 Mt
  • Year 1983
    Description Copper Anode 93500 Mt
  • Year 1984
    Description Copper Anode 94700 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 94700mt

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • USES EL TENIENTE TECHNOLOGY. 1990 - COMPLETED 800 MTPD DC ACID PLANT AND 300 MTPD O2 PLANT, CAPACITY INCREASE ON EARLY 1991. IN 1990, ANNUAL CAPACITY WAS REPORTED AS 150,000 TPY.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Production

    CHARLES RIVER ASSOCIATES, SMELTER PROFILE LAS VENTANAS

  • Production

    SMELTER, AUGUST 18, 1986.

  • Production

    THE UNITED NATIONS PANEL ON INTERNATIONAL MINING FINANCE;

  • Production

    FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MINING IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

  • Production

    APPENDIX 1, PART A, 1977, P. 19.

  • Production

    BROOK HUNT AND ASSOCIATES; COPPER, QUARTERLY SERVICE ISSUE

  • Production

    1, 1977, P. 3.21.

  • Deposit

    PINCOCK, ALLEN & HOLT, INC.; THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENGINEERING,

  • Deposit

    OPERATING AND ENVIRONMENTAL COST DATA FOR INTERNATIONAL

  • Deposit

    COPPER SMELTING AND REFINING OPERATIONS - LAS VENTANAS

  • Deposit

    (ENAMI), CHILE. BUMINES CONTRACT J0290007; FOR INF.,

  • Deposit

    CONTACT S.W. TOWLE, TPO, BUMINES-MAFO, DENVER, CO.

  • Deposit

    CHARLES RIVER ASSOCIATES, LAS VENTANAS SMELTER SMELTER

  • Deposit

    SMELTER PROFILE, AUGUST 18, 1986.

  • Deposit

    "LAS VENTANAS SMELTER SET TO LOSE CAPACITY", METALS

  • Deposit

    BULLETAN, 7/19/93, P. 6.

  • Deposit

    "ENAMI CONTRACT TO CHILE-GERMAN CONSORTIUM", LATIN

  • Deposit

    AMERICAN MINING LETTER, 11/15/93, PP. 5, 6.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES AT THE LAS VENTANAS SMELTER INCLUDE A REVERBERATORY SMELTING FURNACE, AN EL TENIENTE REACTOR, PIERCE-SMITH CONVERTERS, TILTING ANODE FURNACE, REVER- BERATORY ANODE FURNACES, AND CASTING WHEELS. A 290,000 MTPA DOUBLE CONTACT ACID PLANT IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION. SMELTER CAPACITY IS 330,000 MTPA NEW METAL BEARING MATERIAL. THE CHILEAN GOVERNMENT HAS ORDERED AN ENVIRONMENTAL CLEAN-UP THAT WILL REQUIRE ENAMI TO SPEND $46 MILLION ON THE LAS VENTANAS SMELTER, AND REDUCE THE CONCENTRATE CAPACITY TO 390,000 TPY OF CONCENTRATES.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 18-OCT-1996 Towle, Stewart W. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.