Sustainable Mining
Mining powered by renewables: electrified operations, green copper and lithium, hydrogen and water.
Direct lithium extraction: what was discussed at South America's first DLE symposium and why water is key
More than 120 experts met in Santiago at South America's first direct lithium extraction (DLE) symposium. The technique recovers more than 90% of the lithium, versus about half in evaporation ponds, but it can use a lot of freshwater. Chile requires it in new operations.
Largest iron ore producers in the world 2026: country ranking, reserves and Chile's place
Australia mined 980 million tonnes of iron ore in 2025, 37.7% of the world total of 2.6 billion, according to the USGS. Brazil is second, India third and China fourth. Chile produced 19 million and ranks 14th. Ranking, reserves, prices and iron in green steel.
Largest antimony producers in the world 2026: country ranking, reserves and its role in solar panels
China produced 40,000 tonnes of antimony in 2025, 36.4% of the world total of 110,000, according to the USGS. Russia is second, Tajikistan third and Bolivia fourth. The price went from US$10.24 to US$25 per pound in a year after Chinese restrictions. Ranking, reserves and its use in solar glass and batteries.
Degrees to work in renewable energy and mining in Chile: salaries, employment rates and where to study
Mining engineers in Chile earn CLP 3.4 million a month four years after graduating, and electrical engineers have an 89.4% first-year employment rate. Pay and employment for 23 degrees from Mi Futuro, workforce demand to 2034 and where to study.
Codelco aims to be among the five largest lithium producers by 2035, and the world would need 300,000 more tonnes
At the Chilean Institute of Mining Engineers' Jueves Minero, Codelco subsidiary Salares de Chile projected that lithium demand will grow 12% a year and that some 300,000 additional tonnes will be needed: 12 to 15 new projects a year. Experts warned that direct extraction doubles recovery but brine reinjection carries risks.
Largest tin producers in the world 2026: country ranking, reserves and its role in solar panels
China mined 71,000 tonnes of tin in 2025, 24.5% of the world total of 290,000, according to the USGS. Indonesia is second, Peru third, Brazil fourth and Bolivia sixth: Latin America supplies 26.2%. Ranking, reserves, trends since 2020 and the tin in solar solder.
Chilean Cobalt consolidates 10,658 hectares at La Cobaltera and studies recovering cobalt from tailings
Chilean Cobalt signed a US$28.3 million option to add concessions in the San Juan district of Atacama, Chile, reaching 10,658 hectares. The company also takes part in a Corfo-backed consortium seeking to recover cobalt from historical mining waste through bioleaching.
Largest zinc producers in the world 2026: country ranking, reserves and Latin America's place
China mined 4.1 million tonnes of zinc in 2025, 31.5% of the world total of 13 million, according to the USGS. Peru is second with 1.5 million, Mexico fifth and Bolivia seventh: Latin America supplies 21.4%. Ranking, reserves, trends since 2020 and zinc's role in solar power.
Tiernan Gold evaluates up to 120 liters per second of desalinated water for its Volcán gold project in Chile
Tiernan Gold signed a non-binding memorandum to evaluate a supply of up to 120 L/s of desalinated water for its Volcán gold project in Chile's Maricunga belt. The project currently relies on groundwater wells; the earlier study estimated average use of 105 L/s.
Largest aluminum producers in the world 2026: country ranking, bauxite and the electricity it uses
China produced 45 million tonnes of primary aluminum in 2025, 60.8% of the world total of 74 million, according to the USGS. India and Russia follow far behind. Ranking, trends since 2020, bauxite, alumina and how much electricity each tonne needs.
Codelco Andina spills 1 to 5 m³ of tailings into the Blanco River and rules out changes in water quality
A blockage at km 4 of Codelco Andina's tailings flume, caused by an object carried by snow, sent 1 to 5 m³ of tailings into the Blanco River in Chile. Codelco stopped its concentrator and says monitoring of the Blanco and Aconcagua rivers shows no changes.
Largest platinum producers in the world 2026: country ranking, reserves and role in hydrogen
South Africa produced 120,000 kilograms of platinum in 2025, 71% of the world total of 170,000, according to the USGS. Russia and Zimbabwe complete the top three and Russia leads in palladium. Ranking, reserves, prices and platinum's use in electrolysers and fuel cells.
Brine reinjection in salt flats: AMTC scientists warn it does not guarantee restoring the salar
A document from the University of Chile's Advanced Mining Technology Center sets out five questions that must be answered before returning processed brines from direct lithium extraction to salt flats: what, how, where, when and for how long.
Largest manganese producers in the world 2026: country ranking, reserves and their role in batteries
South Africa produced 7.6 million tonnes of manganese in 2025, 38% of the world total of 20 million, according to the USGS. Gabon and Ghana complete the podium and Brazil is fifth. Ranking of production, reserves, prices and its use in steel and batteries.
Chile's competition regulator clears AZA's purchase of Huachipato steel assets to make green steel from scrap
Chile's National Economic Prosecutor's Office (FNE) cleared without conditions Aceros AZA's takeover of the steel shop, two rolling mills and 91 hectares of CAP Group's Huachipato. The plan is to make steel from recycled scrap and later build an electric arc furnace costing about US$250 million.
Largest molybdenum producers in the world 2026: ranking by country, reserves and Chile's place
China produced 97,000 tonnes of molybdenum in 2025, 37% of the world total of 260,000, according to the USGS. Chile is second with 42,000, ahead of the United States and Peru. Ranking of production and reserves, prices and why Chilean molybdenum comes from copper.
Droughts could hit up to 10.7% of Chile's copper output by 2030, study finds
A study disseminated by the University of Chile's AMTC estimates that droughts could affect up to 10.72% of the country's copper production by 2030, more than 705,000 tonnes a year, and extreme rainfall up to 5.08%. Mining already uses 8.11 m³/s of seawater and recirculates 72.5% of its water.
Largest silver producers in the world 2026: ranking by country, reserves and Chile's place
Mexico mined 6,300 tonnes of silver in 2025, 24% of the world total of 26,000, according to the USGS. Peru is second with 3,600 and China third with 3,400; Chile ranks fifth with 1,400. Production and reserves by country, and how much silver solar power uses.
Desalination in Chilean mining: the 10 environmental challenges under the new law 21,813
Consultancy ECOS identified ten environmental and regulatory challenges for desalination plants in Chile, where mining uses about 80% of capacity. Law 21,813, published on May 12, 2026 and in force from November 2027, brings them into environmental review and opens the door to a brine standard.
Largest nickel producers in the world 2026: ranking by country, reserves and where Chile stands
Indonesia produced 2.6 million tonnes of nickel in 2025, 67% of the world total of 3.9 million, according to the USGS. The Philippines is second with 270,000 and Russia third with 200,000. Production and reserves ranking by country, Australia's collapse and why Chile is not on the list.
Largest graphite producers in the world 2026: ranking by country, reserves and where Chile stands
China produced 1.4 million tonnes of natural graphite in 2025, about 78% of the world total of 1.8 million, according to the USGS. Madagascar is second with 80,000 and Tanzania third with 75,000. Production and reserves ranking by country, battery graphite and why Chile is not on the list.
Antofagasta approves US$688 million in solar power: Grenergy's Elena 2 and the SQM plant for Coya Sur
The Antofagasta Environmental Assessment Commission unanimously approved two solar parks with batteries in María Elena: Grenergy's Elena 2 (US$577 million) and a 76.5 MWp plant with 320 MWh of batteries that will power SQM's Coya Sur operation (US$111 million).
Largest cobalt producers in the world 2026: ranking of countries, reserves and where Chile stands
Congo produced 230,000 tonnes of cobalt in 2025, 74% of the world total of 310,000, according to the USGS. Indonesia is second with 44,000. Ranking of production and reserves by country, Congo's export quotas and the cobalt Chile could produce.
University of Antofagasta launches a 418 million peso observatory to monitor desalination plants and their brine
The University of Antofagasta will spend 24 months monitoring seawater intakes and brine discharges from desalination plants in the region, which hosts more than 70% of Chile's desalination, with 418 million pesos from the Regional Government. The data will be public.
Largest rare earth producers in the world 2026: ranking of countries, reserves and where Chile stands
China mined 270,000 tonnes of rare earths in 2025, 69% of the world total of 390,000, according to the USGS. The United States, Australia and Myanmar follow. Production and reserves by country, and Chile's Penco project.
Solar plant inside Escondida: Sungrow files Helia, a 75 MW project with batteries worth US$110 million
Parque Artemis I, a Sungrow company, submitted the Helia solar park to Chile's environmental assessment system: 75 MW of solar and a 75 MW battery inside Minera Escondida's industrial area, at 3,200 meters, with a US$110 million investment. The 20 MW Cenit project for Spence was filed the same day.
The largest desalination plant in the world 2026: ranking of the biggest desalination plants
The Shoaiba complex in Saudi Arabia is the largest desalination plant in the world, at 2.99 million m³ a day according to Guinness. Taweelah (UAE) is the largest reverse osmosis plant. Ranking with figures and Chile's place, led by Escondida's EWS.
Playa Verde gets the permit to dredge the Chañaral tailings and recover copper from the beach
Minera Playa Verde, a subsidiary of Halo Minerals, received the mining permit to dredge the historic tailings on Chañaral beach in Chile and process them to recover copper. It still needs a mining easement, a maritime concession and a final investment decision.
The largest lithium mine in the world 2026: ranking of the biggest mines and salt flats
The world's largest lithium operation is in Chile's Salar de Atacama: Nova Andino Litio (SQM-Codelco) sold 233,100 tonnes in 2025. The largest hard-rock mine is Greenbushes, in Australia, with about 206,000 tonnes of LCE. Ranking of the biggest mines and salt flats.
Capstone Copper to invest over US$3 billion in Chile: copper, cobalt and less sulfuric acid
Capstone Copper announced on October 26 investments of more than US$3 billion in Chile to double its copper output by 2031. The plan includes Santo Domingo, with cobalt for batteries, and a Mantoverde project that will cut sulfuric acid use by about 20%.
Pucobre and Codelco's Tovaku wins environmental approval: a US$870 million copper mine with a 193 MW solar park and seawater
Antofagasta's Environmental Evaluation Commission unanimously approved the Tovaku mining project, owned by Pucobre (60%) and Codelco (40%): 46,000 tonnes of cathodes a year, its own 193 MW photovoltaic park with batteries, untreated seawater from Tocopilla and an investment of US$870 million.
Chile to study how desalination brine affects the sea, a key issue for mining's water supply
A study by the Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Fund (FIPA 2026-01), worth CLP 190.5 million, will measure the effect of brine discharges on marine ecosystems until January 2028. Copper mining already draws 8.11 m³/s of seawater, and the new Desalination Law allows an emission standard for these discharges.
Renewable energy in Chilean mining 2026: how much each major miner uses
In 2025, 80.1% of the electricity used by Chile's copper mining came from renewable contracts, according to Cochilco. Large private mining reaches 96% and Codelco 23% (2024), with a target of 85% from 2026. Ranking by miner, contracts and what is still missing: diesel.
Seawater in Chilean mining 2026: consumption, desalination plants and projections in figures
Copper mining drew 8.11 m³/s of seawater in 2025, more than triple the 2016 level, and 70.4% was desalinated. Cochilco figures by region and source, the mining desalination plants in operation, those on the way and the outlook to 2034.
Carbon footprint of Chilean copper 2026: how much CO2 mining emits per tonne
Copper mining in Chile emitted 12,861 kt of CO2 equivalent in 2024, its lowest level since 2010, according to Cochilco: 2.33 tonnes per tonne of fine copper. Electricity is getting cleaner, but diesel is rising. Figures by source, process and product, and how it compares with the world average.