Codelco to open integrated operations center in Santiago

Chile’s state copper miner Codelco is preparing to open an integrated operations center in its corporate building in capital Santiago to monitor all its mines and processing facilities. 

During a webinar on the digital transformation of the industry, Codelco’s VP for automation technologies, Álvaro García, said the facility is designed to improve productivity. 

The company already has four integrated operation centers at its Chuquicamata, Andina, Ministro Hales and El Teniente mines. 

According to García, Codelco’s transformation plan is focused on four areas: data transmission and security, internet of things (IoT), automation, and integrated operation centers. 

“We achieve nothing by transforming ourselves if we don’t update our communication channels. We’re currently working on a strategic plan to move forward from WiFi to LTE [high speed wireless communication],” he told the event.

The LTE network is currently being tested in Codelco’s open pit mines in northern Chile and the El Teniente underground operation in the central region. 

Using IoT, the miner applied mathematical models in the operation of SAG mills at El Teniente, Chuquicamata and Andina processing plants resulting in a 4% increase in copper production. 

"The plan is to develop these in all the divisions within three years, which would generate US$300mn per year of extra value to Codelco's results,” García said. 

Regarding cybersecurity, the company is betting on the convergence between information technology and operational technology teams, and has experts identifying risks and weaknesses to reduce the chance of hacking inside processing facilities. 

“A hacked SAG mill could start to spin faster, come off its axis and eventually kill people. Rebuilding a SAG mill would take two or three years,” he said. 

Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, is also working on the automation of ore extraction and testing autonomous rock drilling machines and trucks at its Radomiro Tomic and Ministro Hales mines. 

The Gabriela Mistral mine was the first to deploy a 100% autonomous fleet of trucks and has 18 vehicles in operation.

Photo credit: Codelco