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Projects

Escondida Phase IV

Escondida Phase IV Structure Escondida Phase IV Structure

Expanding the World’s Largest Copper Mine

The Escondida mine is located 105 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Antofagasta in northern Chile and represented 9 percent of the global copper market at the time of the project. Aiming to increase ore processing capacity, our customer developed the Escondida Phase IV project.  

Escondida Phase IV Workers

Bechtel provided engineering, procurement, and construction services for the expansion of the world’s largest copper mine, Minera Escondida, completing the billion-dollar job in 2002. Our scope of work included building a new concentrator, upgrading crushing and material-handling systems, and constructing a 6.2-mile (10-kilometer) long conveyor system.  

The project was executed by a joint venture between Bechtel and Sigdo Koppers (now known as Ingeniería y Construcción Sigdo Koppers), the same team that successfully completed the mine’s Phase 3.5 expansion in 1998.

Meeting High Expectations

The project team achieved a fast-track construction schedule that called for completion in 22 months, rather than 24 months. In addition, Bechtel successfully:

Economic Mainstay for Chile 

Located in the arid Atacama Desert, Minera Escondida has played a vital role in the Chilean economy since its first shipment in 1990. Escondida accounts for: 

  • More than 2 percent of Chile’s gross domestic product 
  • Nearly 10 percent of Chile’s exports 
Escondida Phase IV Interior

Expansion Strategies 

We also subsequently completed two major efforts at the mine: the Organic Growth Project 1 and the Escondida Water Supply Project. 

Escondida Phase IV Worker Man
Escondida Phase IV Unreeling belt for the 10-kilometer primary ore conveyor.
Escondida Phase IV Worker Man
Escondida Phase IV Expanding the concentrate filter building at the Escondida port of Coloso.
Escondida Phase IV primary ore conveyor

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