CODELCO and SMI-ICE Chile collaborate towards a more Sustainable Future in Copper Mining

CODELCO, the world’s largest copper-producing company, has partnered with SMI-ICE-Chile to support them in achieving their Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for 2030 for a more sustainable future in mining.

SMI-ICE Chile is working with CODELCO Salvador Division to guide and provide technical support to the process of complying with their six SDGs for 2030, which involve achieving a circular economy, accomplishing sustainable tailings deposit, reducing carbon and water footprint, reducing particulate matter emissions, as well as increasing value in the territory.

The CODELCO Salvador Division, located in the Atacama Region of Chile, has reached a point of inflection that demands a profound commitment to sustainability, with the recent closure of its underground mining operation after sixty years, giving way to a new phase of open pit mining, operation “Rajo Inca,” which will continue functioning in the Region for forty-seven years to come.

SMI-ICE Chile General Manager Dr. Douglas Aitken mentions that this project provides an opportunity for the SMI-ICE-Chile Team to apply its multidisciplinary strength and expertise to co-develop a strategy considering the critical elements influencing each of the sustainability topics and the interconnections between each topic, allowing collaboration with our colleagues in Australia as well interacting closely with operational teams from CODELCO Salvador, resulting in a solid relationship to support the transition of the Division to a more sustainable operation.

“The main challenges for reaching a circular economy for CODELCO Salvador include implementing the circular economy principles across the entire operation, finding suitable local markets for used products and materials (given the relatively isolated location of the operation), and energy supply for transportation, as well as phasing out the use of fossil-fuel powered vehicles for more sustainable alternatives that align with the circular economy due to the lack of options and the associated cost.

“Regarding the benefits of complying with new international tailings standards, these encourage improved performance across all aspects of tailings management from design to closure, a better understanding of the social, environmental, and economic context and risks, focusing on the safety of tailings facilities, which may lead to a better governance and engagement with impacted stakeholders, reducing environmental and social risks, impacts, costs, as well as generating possible opportunities for value recovery.”

SMI-ICE-Chile Co-leader of the line of research Processing: Energy, Water, and Emissions José Ojeda indicates that the main challenges in terms of reducing carbon and water footprint have been to identify the initiatives that will allow CODELCO to achieve the established goals considering that Operation Rajo Inca is a new way of exploiting the deposit.

“Something similar occurs with the SDG to reduce particulate matter emissions, where the challenge consists of establishing a baseline in an operation that has recently started.”

For the goal of development in the territory, SMI-ICE-Chile Social Development and Safety researcher Camila Cabrera highlights the importance of working with communities.

“CODELCO Salvador focuses on increasing the local workforce, mainly through campaigns to attract small and medium-sized companies and updating their contractual plans, as well as increasing the purchase of goods and services from local suppliers through initiatives such as

Dr. Aitken believes that the main contribution that SMI-ICE Chile will make to the mining industry with this project is that Salvador Division can become a leader within the CODELCO group and Chile on the topic of sustainability and positively influence the performance of the other operations.