 Copper smelter at El Teniente | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  El Teniente | |
| Location | Sewell |
| Province | Cachopoal |
| Country | Chile |
| Coordinates | 34°05′16″S 70°23′15″W / 34.08778°S 70.38750°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper |
| Type | Underground |
| History | |
| Opened | 1819 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Codelco |
El Teniente ("The Lieutenant") is an underground copper mine located in the Chilean Andes, 2,300 m (7,500 ft) above mean sea level. It is in the commune of Machalí in Cachapoal Province, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region, near the company town of Sewell. This was established for the workers and their families.
Mining at El Teniente is reported to have started as early as 1819. In the early 20th century, two men from New York, United States set up a mining operation there, starting operations in 1906. Kennecott Copper Corporation, based in Utah, United States, later operated the mine through their subsidiary company. The Chilean government bought a 51% interest in the mine in 1967. Some 15,000 people lived in Sewell at its height as a company town.
In 1971 Chile nationalized copper production under President Salvador Allende and formed the state-owned copper mining company Codelco. This company still operates the mine. Workers began to live in other areas.
With over 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) of underground drifts,[2] El Teniente is reportedly "the world's biggest underground copper mine",[3][4] and is the largest of Codelco's operations.[5] Typically more than 5,000 workers were involved in production.[6]
Since 2011, a structural project called New Mine Level (NML) has been underway at El Teniente. It consists of expanding the mine deeper into the hill at 1,880 meters above sea level. The project is being carried out without interrupting the operation of El Teniente Division.[7]
- ^ Lindgren, Waldemar; Bastin, Edson (1922). "The geology of the Braden Mine, Rancagua, Chile". Economic Geology. XVII (2): 99. doi:10.2113/gsecongeo.17.2.75.
- ^ Jamasmie, Cecilia. "This is what the world's largest underground mine looks like". Mining.com. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Codelco says electrical fire dented Teniente output". Reuters. April 9, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
- ^ "Chile's copper industry: Reviving Codelco". The Economist. 2010-10-21. Retrieved 2010-10-22.
- ^ Craze, Matthew (April 21, 2008). "Codelco Says 3 of 4 Copper Mines Shut After Attack (Update2)". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
- ^ Emol, June 20, 2005, "La Tragedia del Humo": A 60 años del peor accidente minero en Chile (in Spanish)
- ^ "New Mine Level Project". Digiscend.com. 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-03-07.