Chile`s top copper miners boost June output during coronavirus peak

The Chilean Copper Commission (Cochilco) reported that Codelco, the world`s top copper producer, raised production by 2.5% from June 2019, to 131 900 t.

BHP`s Escondida mine, the largest copper deposit in the world, increased production by 1.6% year-on-year, to 105 800 t.

The massive Collahuasi copper mine in northern Chile, a joint venture between Anglo American and Glencore , posted a 30.2% year-on-year increase to 57 800 t.

The country`s total production, however, dropped 0.7% year-on-year in June to 460,200 tons as some smaller mines were forced to reduce output amid the pandemic.

But world top copper producer Chile boosted output overall in the first half of 2020 by 2.6%, to 2.83-million tonnes, the copper agency statistics show.