Pleito Mine

The project ‘Iron ore mining in Distrito Pleito’, is located in the commune of Vallenar, province of Huasco, Atacama region, approximately 95 km south of Vallenar and 105 km north of La Serena; it consists of the open-pit mining of an iron ore deposit, its subsequent processing is carried out in a mobile plant whose objective is the production of pellets, fines and preconcentrate. The ore produced is transported to Minas El Romeral as preconcentrate and directly to Puerto de Guayacán as pellets and fines. The Pleito Sur and Bronce pits are currently in operation.

Mina El Pleito began its internal road construction operations in early July 2017; during the period from August to October, the construction of the mobile beneficiation plant was carried out; and in early October the first blasting was carried out, initiating the prestripping. Preliminarily, the useful life of the project was 36 months, which as a result of an extension to Phase 2 at Pleito Sur and the start-up of Bronces, has been extended to the beginning of 2023.

The mobile plant consists of a feed hopper, a grizzly screen, a jaw crusher, a cone crusher, a banana screen, a magnetic concentration module for fines, two magnetic concentration modules for fines, and nine conveyor belts, as well as minor belts and transfer hoppers. This process is directly linked to the iron grade of the ore, so there are three processing schemes: High Grade 1 ore, ores with an iron concentration greater than or equal to 59.5%; High Grade 2 ore, iron concentration between 50% and 59.5%; and Medium Grade ore, iron concentration between 35% and 50%.