According to Mining News Pro - Dedicated to providing laboratory analysis, advanced analysis and specialised chemical consultancy services, AGQ will service the two contracts from its new branch in Copiapó, northern Chile.

MLCC (SCM Minera Lumina Copper Chile) is owned by Pan Pacific Copper Co and Mitsui & Co SCM. It owns Caserones (pictured), a deposit in the Atacama Region of Chile, which is 162 km from Copiapó.

Codelco, meanwhile, is currently the biggest copper producer in the world by production, owning a number of mines in northern Chile.

AGC said the inauguration of its new Copiapó branch, which will provide operational coverage to other clients in the area, sees AGQ Labs Chile take a new step, “consolidating itself as a leading supplier to the Chilean mining industry”.