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Projects

Las Bambas Copper Concentrator

Las Bambas Reclaim tunnel # 2 - Stockpile area. Las Bambas Reclaim tunnel # 2 - Stockpile area.
Las Bambas Sergio Baldini, Deputy Site Manager (left) and Paige Wilson, Project Manager, happy with the construction progress - Concentrator area.

The Successful Completion of one of the Globe’s Largest Copper Mines

Las Bambas is a greenfield copper concentrator project located at 13,780 feet (4,200 meters) above sea level in the Peruvian Andes owned and operated by MMG, which has helped Peru further strengthen its position as the world’s second largest copper producing nation.  

Bechtel actively partnered with MMG to provide engineering, procurement and construction services, and successfully handed over the project in 2015. Thanks to its 140,000 tonnes per day concentrator, the mine produced more than 453,000 tonnes in 2017, its first full year of commercial production, becoming one of the world’s 10 largest copper mines. 

Road to the Las Bambas project.

Keeping Kids Safe 

The rural communities were not used to the high-volume of road traffic that came with the project’s construction. To ensure safety for all, Bechtel worked with the owner and contractor companies to complete 59 workshops for 2,224 schoolchildren and 3,098 hours of traffic safety training in the construction area near the concentrator and along the heavy-haul road. 

Las Bambas project - A girl passes out road safety handouts, part of the training Bechtel does in the local schools.
School boy in a community near the Las Bambas project.
Children at a school in Peru near the Las Bambas project.

For more information about the successful work with the communities at Las Bambas, please see Bechtel’s 2016 Sustainability Report. 

Las Bambas Supervisors during a safety walk-down.

Standard Concentrator Design Reduces Costs and Expedites Delivery  

In 2012, Bechtel completed a copper concentrator at the nearby Antapaccay Project. We drew on this experience to build the facility at Las Bambas, Bechtel’s largest greenfield concentrator to date. We implemented a standard plant design at the two sites, which helped reduce capital costs and delivery times, leverage good practices, and promote consistent implementation of environmental, safety, and health processes, recruitment practices, community engagement efforts, and local enterprise support.  

Building the Local Economy, Industries and Skills

During the course of the project, Bechtel and its partners spent more than $100 million on local goods and services in 16 remote Peruvian towns. Indirect employment from these ventures alone exceeded 2,000 jobs. 

As an additional benefit to the local community, approximately 5,000 hours of training were provided to more than 700 businesspeople on topics such as customer service, business management, production processes, environmental, safety, and health standards, and tax preparation. 

Las Bambas manager poses on the (jobsite, job site). He wears a safety (hard hat, hardhat, vest, glasses, goggles, logo).

It was important for MMG, Bechtel, and our partners to help local communities succeed in the changing economy. We also helped local firms to join forces through business-to-business cooperation to capitalize on economic opportunities. For example, laundry and hotel owners formed associations to negotiate higher quality and safety standards with the project. Bechtel was recognized by 10 vendors for helping them meet the requirements of food hygiene, water and sanitation, fire prevention, and evacuation needed for project work. Many of these standards were developed and delivered through training, site inspections, and improvement plans. The association also pledged to continue improving these practices after the project was handed over. 

Las Bambas welder (craftsman, iron worker) uses a welding torch. He wears (welding helmet, protective gear, welding gloves). Sparks light up the welder against a dark (black) background. copper, mining, Peru

Together with MMG and our partners, we also made a concerted effort to elevate the technical skills of local people through various initiatives. As a result, more than 300 workers completed the formal trade craft and on-the-job training essential to be qualified for higher-level positions, such as surveying, earthworks, and welding.

Commemorating the Commissioning of Las Bambas

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