By the time Anglo American produces its first copper from the Quellaveco mine in Peru, the company will have owned the orebody for nearly 30 years, spent more than 15 years laying the groundwork, invested millions of dollars, and made thousands of decisions necessary to get the mine up and running. Company leaders believe that this attention to detail and commitment to preparation will allow the mine not only to succeed but to exceed expectations. In fact, before the first copper ore is extracted from the mine, the company is already thinking ahead.
“We see significant potential to expand Quellaveco beyond its current 30-year reserve life as well as to increase throughput above the initial capacity of 127,500 t per day,” says Anglo American Chief Executive Mark Cutifani. First production of copper is expected in 2022, ramping up to full production in 2023. During the first 10 years of full production Quellaveco is expected to produce approximately 300,000 t per year.
“While Peru will be a new operating geography for us, we’ve been preparing the ground for many years — both literally and figuratively — developing strong relationships with local communities, government authorities and regulators along the way,” the company says on its website. Anglo American board members approved development of the project in July 2018. That same month, partner Mitsubishi Corporation increased its interest in the project to 40%. The company has secured the licenses and permits to move forward with Quellaveco and development has commenced. “After several years of extensive preparatory work, we are very pleased to develop the project together with our partner Mitsubishi,” said Cutifani.
Hand-in-hand with the design of the mine was the selection of the loading and hauling fleet. After a long evaluation of equipment — from different sizes to different drive systems to different manufacturers — Anglo American ultimately partnered with Caterpillar and Cat® dealer Ferreyros. Both electric rope shovels and hydraulic mining shovels will handle loading duties at Quellaveco. Cat 7495 Electric Rope Shovels, the largest equipment in the Caterpillar portfolio in Peru, have the capacity to move up to 127,000 t per day. In addition, the mine will operate a Cat 6060B Hydraulic Mining Shovel, the first of its kind in Peru. The shovels will load a fleet of Cat 794AC trucks, one of the newest additions to the Cat large mining truck lineup. The 291 t 794 features an electric-drive powertrain that is Caterpillar designed, integrated and supported.
“We are honored to be part of this great mining project with the presence of our Caterpillar equipment and our support,” said Gonzalo Díaz Pró, general manager of Ferreyros. “We appreciate the confidence of Anglo American for allowing us to be part of one of the most important projects in Peru.” Ferreyros will be responsible for supporting the equipment. The Cat dealership will locate specially trained personnel, as well as spare parts and components, on site at Quellaveco. Ferreyros will also support Anglo American’s efforts to train local people to work on the project.
Located in the Moquegua region of Peru, Quellaveco sits at an altitude of 3,000 m. It is one of the world’s largest undeveloped single porphyry copper deposits, with a reserve base of more than 1.3 billion tonnes. Quellaveco benefits from its location in Peru’s most established copper-producing region, which has sound infrastructure and good access to skilled workers.
By the end of 2017, Anglo American had invested about $450 million in early groundworks and engineering. This preliminary work included:
- A dam and reservoir of the Vizcachas River, a Titire River intake, and a a 95 km water pipeline to transport water to the plant
- Development of an overland conveyor, including a tunnel
- A diversion system for the Asana River
- Development of the conventional processing plant and grinding lines
- A 1.3 billion tonne storage capacity tailings dam
- Port expansion, with a new ship-loading and storage facility
- Power lines and substation
- A 4,000 bed workers’ camp
Quellaveco will be a conventional open-pit mine involving drill, blast, load and haul operations. Ore will pass through a primary crusher before being conveyed to a processing facility in the adjacent Papujune valley. The mine has been designed for efficiency. The orebody will be uncovered through erosion by the Asana River, leading to a low strip ratio. The central location of the primary crusher will allow short haulage distances, with a downhill loaded cycle for most of the first 10 years. This enables the mine to operate with a smaller fleet and low consumables.
The processing operation is based on a conventional, well-understood model. Two grinding lines, designed for hard ore, will produce high-grade copper concentrate. Each grinding line will include one semi-autogenous (SAG) mill and one ball mill, with space for a third line. The mill is initially permitted for a throughput capacity of 127,500 t. Average copper concentrate grade is estimated to be greater than 40% in the first five years and greater than 30% over the life of the mine.
