El Pachón Greenfield Project

Transcription

1 El Pachón Greenfield Project Xavier Ochoa, El Pachón General Manager 18 September 2011

2 El Pachón Project Project is 100% Xstrata Copper Argentinean company holds free-title mineral, land and water rights required for project in Argentina Chilean company holds land and easement rights for development of concentrate handling facilities in Chile Ore body located fully in Argentina, San Juan province, 5km from Chilean border Mining-friendly province Only current road access from Argentina via a 160km gravel road 1 hour helicopter flight from Santiago, Chile Short distance downhill to Chilean coastline and nearby ports 2

3 El Pachón Project Bi-national setting Bi-national Integration Treaty is Applicable Access to Chilean infrastructure for concentrate exports Dual stakeholder populations Uninhabited site location Nearest populations: o In Chile 45km o In Argentina 160km

4 El Pachón Community Relations Community and Social Involvement programs active since 2006 Calingasta Valley in Argentina Choapa Province in Chile Very good rapport with communities Conducting Townhall meetings in all localities since 2007 No present day community opposition to project development Working openly in joint state-private partnerships with community involvement Focus on education, health and local productive activities Strong local, regional / provincial government support Mining Industry recognition Argentina Mining 2010 RSE Award

5 El Pachón Project: Summer field drill programs Site description El Pachón Fully equipped state-of-art camp facilities designed to support drilling operations

6 El Pachón Mineral Resource Mt Cu Copper in resource Measured Indicated Inferred Description Mineral Resource: 0.51% Cu (Dec 10) Largest ever on-property exploration drilling campaign during summer of 2010/11 58,914 metres Resource sampling density increased significantly Target of +85% measured and indicated resource categorization in 5-yr pit Resource open at depth El Pachón drill collar locations Core logging Barreal facilities El Pachón Resource categories

7 Process: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ESIA Process - two separate but correlated impact assessments: Argentina (Mine, Plant, Infrastructure) Chile (Concentrate transportation, filter plant & shipping) Supported by key specialist consultants for acid rock drainage, snow & crioforms Baselines completed ESIA development underway integrated with Feasibility Study Local community water sampling Automated river gauging station

8 El Pachón Feasibility Study status Feasibility Study conducted with Bechtel 5th Feasibility Study under the Xstrata - Bechtel Strategic Alliance Study advancing as per plan Standard Concentrator applied Key project elements designed Thickened tailings disposal development Infrastructure design - tradeoffs underway for offsite infrastructure o Power supply o Chile inland concentrate shipping o Seaport Metallurgical development nearly complete Flotation pilot plant confirmatory results obtained at G&T Labs in Canada Mini pit bulk ore sample collected for grinding pilot tests now underway at CIM Labs in Chile Bulk Sampling Mini Open Pit

9 El Pachón Project particulars Mine and Concentrator in separate valleys linked by tunnels Thickened tailings disposal solution Concentrates will be exported via Chile to a commercial Pacific Coast port

10 El Pachón Project particulars Standard Concentrator: 2 grinding lines 160ktpd throughput Production: 400ktpa Cu for first five full years average over LOM 280ktpa Cu Resource supports 30-yr operation Indicative El Pachón production to 2020 Standard concentrator design 500 Kt Cu in concentrate

11 El Pachón Project synergies Project will be the third Standard Concentrator application and benefit from the replication of Antapaccay and Las Bambas concentrators Engineering Procurement Execution Commissioning Retention of Project Teams XCu & Bechtel Engineering and Procurement Teams to move across in 2012 from Las Bambas project to El Pachón to advance engineering Potential for Execution Teams at Antapaccay, following project commissioning in 2012, to move across as well to El Pachón Operational Expertise Operational expertise in Peru & Argentina (MAA) available to leverage Pachón workforce, advance training and provide leadership Project will utilise mostly Argentine construction labour skills Not competing with the large number of large-scale Chilean projects Will benefit from labour development in other in-country projects

12 Conclusions World class and large scale new project that will benefit from synergies with Antapaccay and Las Bambas and in-country (MAA) operational expertise The final feasibility study will be complete in early 2012 Additional exploration drilling during summer of will improve certainty of Mineral Resource The ESIA process will be complete in early 2012 with EIA documents ready to be lodged in Argentina and Chile in H Project engineering will start in 2012 with Las Bambas Team Subject to approvals: 34 month construction program Could start commercial concentrate production in 2016

13 Questions?

14 Agenda Introduction Copper market update Xstrata Copper overview South American Operations Project Development South America Antamina and Collahuasi expansions Antapaccay Project Las Bambas Project El Pachón Project Agua Rica Project Conclusions Coffee break 14