The giant copper pit Chile is betting its future on

The group said it will consider the base metals business demerger at a later stage.

With a personal investment of $225 million on the line, much is at stake for Rob McEwen with the success of McEwen Copper’s flagship Los Azules project in Argentina.

The Chuquicamata mine, located in northern Chile, is one of the largest open-pit copper mines.

The miner's output was 3% lower than expected.