Chile’s Codelco, the world’s top copper producer, boosted output by 7.5% in September to 145,300 tonnes, Chilean copper commission Cochilco said on Thursday, though its total production for the year continued to lag.
The state miner saw its production in the first nine months of 2019 drop 6.7% versus the previous year, reaching 1.2 million tonnes by September, Cochilco data showed.
State miner Codelco and other top producers were forced to suspend operations earlier this year as unusually heavy rain and electric storms struck much of Chile’s northern mining country, cutting off roads and collapsing bridges.
BHP’s Escondida copper mine – the world’s largest – saw its September production fall 7.4% to 100,100 tonnes, Cochilco said.
And the Collahuasi copper mine in northern Chile, a joint-venture between Anglo American and Glencore , produced 48,800 tonnes in September, down 4.5% from the same month the previous year.
(By Dave Sherwood; Editing by Chris Reese)
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