Artificial intelligence and machine learning help explain a pickup in production at Chile’s Escondida copper mine, the world’s largest, as the industry battles deteriorating ore quality at its aging operations in the South American nation.
(Bloomberg) — Artificial intelligence and machine learning help explain a pickup in production at Chile’s Escondida copper mine, the world’s largest, as the industry battles deteriorating ore quality at its aging operations in the South American nation.
“Increased copper recovery has been achieved at Escondida by using AI recommendations, new machine learning and data processing platforms to help optimize flotation operational parameters,” operator BHP Group said in its annual report.
Copper production in Chile, the top-producing nation, has stagnated in recent years amid deteriorating ore quality and water restrictions. Codelco, the nation’s state behemoth, has seen output tumble, posting another year-on-year drop in July. But Escondida churned out 5% more in the fiscal year through June, and continued to edge higher in July, despite road blockades late last year and “geotechnical events.”
In the Form 20-F report published Tuesday, BHP said it’s moving forward with studies into potentially replacing a concentrator at Escondida. The Melbourne-based firm is also looking at different leaching technologies to extract more copper and enable production of cathode-finished product that doesn’t require smelting.
Read More: Codelco Put Under Review by Moody’s as Mining Woes Inflate Debt
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