Chile’s largest copper producers recorded mixed production results in March 2021 compared to last year on lower demand, especially from BHP Billiton’s Escondida, Los Pelambres, and Spence.
Codelco’s copper production rose slightly by 0.75pc to 148,700mt in March, from 147,600mt in the same month of 2020, Collahuasi copper production rose by 5.1pc to 53,000mt in March this year, from 50,400mt produced in the prior-year month, according to the latest figures released by the Chilean Copper Commission (Cochilco).
Anglo American Sur’s copper production rose to 33,200mt in March, from 29,300mt in the same month the prior year. The Esperanza mine also increased its production to 16,500mt this year, from 14,800mt in last March.
BHP Billiton’s Escondida mine, on the other hand, saw its production fall by 11.7pc to 89,900mt in March 2020, from 101,800mt in the same month of the prior year. Los Pelambres copper production also went down by 3.5pc to 32,500mt in March, from 33,700mt in the same month of 2020, and Spence’s copper production declined to 14,900mt this March, from 15,200mt in the same month of 2020.
Chile’s copper production fell by 1.21 to 488,700mt in March, from 494,700mt produced in the same month the prior year. The South American country saw its copper production also decline by 2.1pc in the first quarter to 1.37mn mt, from 1.40mt mt, according to the latest figures released by the Chilean Copper Commission (Cochilco).