DMC Mining Services Chile recently completed its first blast at Minera Candelaria copper-gold mine, officially marking the start of a major new project for the company. DMC Mining Services Ltd is a division of KGHM International, and operates as the international arm of KGHM Polska Miedź SA.
DMC Mining Services Managing Director, Michal Marcin Jezioro: “While first blasts are always significant milestones, this one carries particular meaning for our team. Seven years ago, DMC entered Chile with a vision of building a leading underground mining contractor in one of the world’s most important mining jurisdictions. Today, DMC Mining Services Chile has grown to 1,600 employees and established itself as a trusted partner to major mining companies across the industry. Projects like Candelaria reflect that growth.”
The Lateral Development and Reinforcement contracts awarded to DMC by Lundin Mining Chile represent an opportunity for the company to further expand its presence in the Atacama Region while continuing to demonstrate the capabilities of its team. The scope of work includes the full range of lateral development activities, executed alongside comprehensive ground support installation across the deposit.
Jezioro: “Reaching this point has required years of effort, strong leadership, and a commitment to delivering on our promises. As we begin this new chapter, I want to thank everyone who played a role in bringing us here – from the teams involved in securing the contract and preparing for mobilisation to those now executing the work underground. Congratulations to the entire DMC Chile team on reaching this milestone. I look forward to seeing what we accomplish together at Candelaria.”
Candelaria consists of an open-pit and underground mine feeding a ~80,000 t/d processing plant. Ojos del Salado includes the Santos underground mine and the PAC mill, which has an approximate capacity of 3,800 t/d. Concentrate is exported via the Punta Padrones port near Caldera.
The Candelaria Underground mine is forecasting a combined production of 14,000 t/d of ore, approximately 10,000 t and 4,000 t from the North and South sectors, respectively. The combined production from both sectors will allow the mine to maintain this peak production up until 2046. The average LOM grade is 0.78% copper.
The three underground mines (Candelaria Underground North/South sectors, Santos and Alcaparrosa) utilise a sublevel stoping mining method for ore extraction. This method is ideal for relatively large, vertical, as well as thick deposits with favourable and stable host rock. Stopes can typically be up to 180 m high with sublevels at 20 to 60 m intervals.
The length of the stopes is generally 40 to 100 m with widths varying between 20 to 30 m. Stopes are drilled down from the sublevel drilling drifts as benches using 114 to 130 mm diameter bit down-the hole holes. The holes are loaded and blasted in vertical slices towards an open face created by the slot blasting. The blasted ore gravitates to the bottom of the stope and is collected in draw points at the production level below.