Antofagasta finds and clears blockage at Los Pelambres

Chilean copper miner Antofagasta said on Tuesday that it had detected and cleared a blockage at its Los Pelambres pipeline, where operation was immediately suspended.

No leak occurred, the blockage was successfully cleared and filtering of concentrates to the port at Los Vilos resumed on Saturday. The cause of the blockage has been identified and maintenance procedures have been altered accordingly.

The company said it will take up to three months for the stockpiles at the plant and the port to return to normal levels.

The impact on production for the six months to the end of June is estimated to be around 10,000 tonnes of copper, while sales in the same period are expected to be impacted by around 15,000.

However, production guidance for the full year was kept at between 705,000 and 740,000 tonnes, as the impact on production and sales is estimated to be less than 5,000 tonnes for both.