Copper miner Codelco received authorization from Chile’s labor inspector office to begin resuming certain operations at its flagship El Teniente copper mine, it said on Saturday, after more than a week of suspended operations following a deadly collapse that killed six workers.
In a statement, Codelco said operations can resume in areas not affected by the July 31 collapse, including Pilar Norte, Panel Esmeralda, Pacifico Superior, Diablo Regimiento, and others, while sections such as Recursos Norte and Andesita remain suspended, pending further inspections.
The decision allows Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, to partially restart activities at one of its key divisions, potentially easing operational disruptions.
Chile’s mining regulator had given the green light for a partial restart on Friday evening, but the company needed the labor inspection office to sign off on the plan before resuming mining activity at a time when the miner grapples with production challenges.
The El Teniente division is expected to announce its detailed plan for restarting operations along with safety measures to ensure compliance with labor authority requirements. Inspections in suspended areas will continue before a full restart can be authorized.
El Teniente, which is more than a century old, spans more than 4,500 km (2,800 miles) of tunnels and underground galleries deep within the Andes mountains.
(By Fabian Cambero; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
