The following is a list of copper smelters in Chile that have been active at some point after 1950.
Chile is the world's largest producer of copper [1] and activity provides a substantial part of the Chilean state's revenue: slightly less than 6% in 2020, with state-owned copper company Codelco alone generating 2.6% of state revenue. [2] [A] In 2024 copper processed in Chilean copper smelters made up 33% of the value of Chilean mining products exports while unrefined copper concentrate represented 50.9% of the value of Chilean mining exports. [3] Since the 1990s no new copper smelters have been built in Chile. [4]
Copper smelters that serves a specific mine is called integrated smelters. A custom copper smelter is one receiving or open to receive ores from multiple mines. Thus, these smelters tend to be less fine-tuned than smelters integrated with specific mines. Custom smelters tend also to be located at strategic locations, such as near port facilities or at important crossroads in mining districts. [5]
| Name | Type | Region | Year of opening | Capacity kTon/year as of 2015 | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fundición Altonorte | Custom | Antofagasta | 1993 | 350 | Fundición Altonorte is a copper smelter plant in La Negra, 25 km southeast of the city of Antofagasta in northern Chile. Owned by Glencore. [6] |
| Fundición Caletones | Integrated–El Teniente | O'Higgins | 1922 | 400 | It is owned by Codelco and serves the mine of El Teniente. [7] The smelter is the birthplace of the Teniente Converter technology, the first of which begun operations in 1977. [8] |
| Fundición Chagres | Integrated–El Soldado | Valparaíso | 1917 | 140 | It is majority-owned by Anglo American Sur. [5] It lies at 400 meters above sea level and reported to produce 110,100 tons of copper anodes in 2023. [9] |
| Fundición Chuquicamata | Integrated–Chuquicamata | Antofagasta | 1952 | 450 | It is owned by Codelco and serves the mine of Chuquicamata. [10] |
| Fundición Paipote | Custom | Atacama | 1952 | 84 [B] | Fundicón Paipote is a copper smelter plant owned by ENAMI near Copiapó. The smelter has been paralyzed since February 2024 for a major overhaul. [12] [13] At the time of paralization the smelter generated economic losses for ENAMI. [12] |
| Fundición Potrerillos | Integrated–El Salvador | Atacama | 1928 | 177 | It is owned by Codelco and serves El Salvador mine. [5] [14] In the early 2020s Codelco has recognised limited automation and increased environmental regulations as challenges for the viability of Fundición Potrerillos. [15] |
| Fundición Ventanas | Custom | Valparaíso | 1964 | 105 | Fundición Ventanas was a copper smelter plant in Quintero, Valparaíso Region, Chile. It is owned by Codelco and was formerly owned by ENAMI. It closed permanently in 2023. [16] [17] [18] |