The Buenos Aires-based firm is looking at three projects — in San Juan, Santa Cruz and Salta provinces — and has received partnership interest from a mining company.

The Chilean state-owned firm had envisaged turning its mainly underground Salvador mine into an open pit by first half of 2023.

The communities also agreed to demand the stoppage from Monday of operations at Antapaccay, Las Bambas and Constancia.

"There is only one point that is currently pending and we hope it will be resolved as soon as possible", he said.

It's a useful reminder that going upstream can be a high-risk business for even the biggest automotive companies.

Production from state-owned giant Codelco jumped 5.1% on a yearly basis to 127,000 tonnes.

The company has started extracting scrap that had been dumped at a tailings dam at Carajas in northern Brazil since 1985.