524 Jan-Feb 2025
12 March 2025
Latest in Latin America
US intervention spotlights Venezuela fertilizer assets
Venezuela’s nitrogen industry faces uncertainty from US military intervention, as outlined in a recent CRU analysis. Strategic facilities State-owned Pequiven manages three northern coastal plants with 2.4 Mt annual ammonia capacity and 3.0 Mt urea capacity. These sites link directly to PDVSA pipelines and nearby natural gas operations. Historical disruptions and 2023 rebound US sanctions […]
Metso expands technical service centre
Metso has completed the expansion of its service centre in Antofagasta, Chile, adding an additional 1,200 m² of operational capacity, totalling 4,800 m² of technical workspace. Strategically located in the La Negra industrial district, at the heart of northern Chile’s mining area, the service centre has tripled its technical-commercial agreements in recent years, becoming a key strategic partner for major mining companies in the country. Following the expansion, the centre can now repair and refurbish large-scale equipment including HRC™ and high pressure grinding roll units, Vertimill® grinding technology, and mills for mining customers. It also supports beneficiation and dewatering technologies, such as filter plate pack service offerings. In addition, the centre provides service capabilities for mining crushers, grinding mills, screens, and car dumpers.
Yara seals Villeta project offtake agreement
ATOME has signed a definitive offtake agreement with Yara International for its Villeta project in Paraguay.
Permit agreed for smelter revamp
Chile’s state-run mining company Enami says that it has received an environmental permit for a new $1.7 billion copper smelter, as part of the modernization of its Hernan Videla Lira smelting facility in the northern Atacama region. The new facility will process up to 850,000 t/a of copper concentrate, and its electrolytic refinery will produce up to 240,000 t/a of copper cathodes for use in electronics, construction and renewable vehicles. Enami says that the modernisation will “ensure profitable and sustainable operations, and practically triple the capacity of the old smelter.”
Codelco warns Chile’s copper output could stagnate
Copper production in Chile may stall at around 5.5 million t/a because of the growing challenges mining companies face, according to Maximo Pacheco, chairman of state-owned Codelco.