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Machines Replace a Third of Workforce at Giant Copper Mine

  • Chuquicamata underground mine inaugurated in formal ceremony
  • Codelco invested $5.5 billion to maintain output levels
The Codelco Chuquicamata open pit copper mine near Calama, Chile.
The Codelco Chuquicamata open pit copper mine near Calama, Chile.Photographer: Cristobal Olivares/Bloomberg
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Machines are taking over a giant Chilean copper mine, replacing about a third of the workforce as owner Codelco struggles to keep its title as the world’s largest producer of the metal.

Codelco officially inaugurated underground operations at its century-old Chuquicamata mine on Wednesday. The $5.5 billion project is the first of the state company’s multi-billion dollar effort to upgrade mining activities in order to boost productivity. The miner’s output fell to 1.68 million tons last year, from 1.73 million a year earlier as its higher-grade ore reserves decline.