Copper production in Chile rose 9.8% on an annual basis to 417 000 t in February even as state-run Codelco’s output dipped, the country’s copper commission Cochilco said on Thursday.
Despite the overall rise, production at Chile’s embattled copper giant Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, dipped 1.6% to 103 700 t.
February’s rise in production was helped by a 34.1% year-on-year rise from BHP’s flagship Escondida mine, the world’s largest copper mine, which saw production reach 97 500 t in February.
Collahuasi, another major copper mine in Chile jointly run by Glencore and Anglo American, saw production rise 2.5% to 45 200 t year-on-year in the month.