Outotec has signed a contract with Codelco for the design and delivery of a copper concentrate roasting plant, gas cleaning system and sulphuric acid plant for the company’s new Mina Ministro Hales mine close to Calama, northern Chile. The contract price is around €116 million and includes basic and detailed engineering, proprietary and process equipment, installation and start up services. Outotec and Codelco also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for two years’ operation and maintenance of the new plant. The new plant will treat up to 550,000 t/y of copper concentrate and will produce some 250,000 t of sulphuric acid. It is scheduled to be commissioned in early 2012.

“Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, has been our business partner for decades. The company has high standards for operational safety and environmental requirements. This significant order demonstrates their confidence in the sustainability of our technologies and project execution competence”, says Pertti Korhonen, President and CEO of Outotec.