Environmental Management

 

 

Resource Use

 

Codelco, as any mining company, requires a large amount of natural resources and products to produce copper. Thus, we strive make responsible use of natural resources, especially water and energy, promoting a culture of saving. We handle industrial waste and mine closure operations adequately.

 

Energy Consumption and Greenhouse gases

 

Energy consumption is a critical aspect for the mining industry, as, besides its availability, it strongly impacts production costs and business results.

 

 

Direct energy consumption refers to the use of fuel and indirect energy consumption refers to electric power. It is worth mentioning that almost 50% of the energy used by Codelco during 2010 came from indirect consumption, that is, from electricity. Therefore, environmental effects of this consumption depend directly on the energy matrix of the Central (SIC) and Northern Interconnected System (SING).

 

 

Direct Energy Consumption by Division

 

EN3Direct energy consumption by primary energy source Total consumption is reported in petajoules units (PJ) and gigawatts/hour (GWh). One PJ is equal to 277.77 GWh.

 

 

 

Indirect Energy Consumption per Division

EN4Indirect energy consumption by primary source. Indirect energy consumption correspond to primary energy (fuel such as coal, gas or petrol) used for external power utilities. The energy produced by these utilities is transmitted and consumed through the SIC and SING.

 

Codelco Norte, El Salvador, Andina and Ventanas Divisions, have reduced selfgeneration power capacity for own consumption.

 

In 2010, power consumed by the Corporation amounted to 8% from the SIC and 23% from the SING.

 

 

Indirect Energy Consumption (Electricity) in PJ

To date, corporate efforts to improve Codelco’s energy use have focused in increasing energy efficiency of processes, through better management of resources and equipment. This paradigm is no longer enough and the Corporation is considering the incorporation of new strategies, among them, initiatives to use renewable energy such as photovoltaic (lighting); solar (heating solutions); wind (remote facilities, activation of control equipment); geomagmatic (power tube); geothermal and carbon footprint measurements.

 

In this context, and since 2010, Codelco has incorporated the Sustainable Energy Guidelines, with the commitment to define a corporate strategy to enable setting goals and internal indicators for greenhouse gas emissions reduction, thus contributing with a decrease in emissions, and therefore, in climate change contribution.

 

Despite the fact that Chile contributes with less than 0.3% of the global GHG emissions, achieving reductions in the increase rate of these emissions is today, a global ethical challenge.

Greenhouse Gases (GHG)

 

EN18Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reductions achieved. Two kinds of greenhouse gas emissions are associated to the energy consumption inherent to Codelco’s productive processes: direct and indirect emissions. From the total emissions of the Corporation, only one fourth correspond to direct emissions.

 

 

Therefore, the configuration of the SIC and SING interconnected systems, upon which the corporation has no control, determine over 50% of the total amount of green house gas emissions.

 

EN16Total direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by weight.

 

 

Energy Management

 

During 2010 energy efficiency management was included among the divisional performance agreements, with a relative weight of 7% in divisional performance assessment. The performance agreement, in terms of energy management, was constructed based on the elements of the Corporate Energy Efficiency Plan, focused on contract management and process energy efficiency management.

 

Each Division agreed a group of energy intensity indicators with the Corporate Center, accounting for over 80% of corporate energy consumption.

 

Divisional Performance regarding the Energy Efficiency Plan was assessed on a monthly basis, with data obtained automatically from corporate systems, so that information enabled in-time actions to achieve streamlined improvement of divisional energy management. At the same time, and on a monthly basis, an aggregated report was compiled, presenting corporate results. To December, the evaluation of this instrument showed that the goal was met.

 

EN5Energy saved due to conservation and efficiency improvements.  

Results of the 2010 energy efficiency plan

 

Maximum electric power demand

EN7Initiatives to reduce indirect energy con sumption and reductions achieved. Actions derived from the Energy Efficiency plan regarding this item saved Codelco 72.3 Megawatts (MW) of power during 2010, 21.7 MW from the SING and 50.6 MW from the SIC.

 

Initiatives to reduce direct energy consumption, resulting in the mentioned savings, are related to management of maximum demand at peak hours, applied at Codelco Norte Division around the year, while atEl Salvador, Andina, Ventanas and El Teniente Divisions, is applied from April 1st to September 30th.

 

Power Factor

Actions derived from the Energy Efficiency Plan enabled Codelco Norte, Ventanas, Andina and El Salvador Divisions to comply with power factors committed in their electric supply contracts, without overcharges.

 

Actions carried out in El Teniente Division, through operational energy management improvement, have enabled progressive improve power factor in 2008, 2009 and 2010, achieving levels of 0.90, 0.91, 0.92 respectively, without the need to carry out new investments during the period.

 

EN18Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reductions achieved.

Energy efficiency in Processes

The Energy Efficiency Plan has allowed to reduce the growing energy intensity trend produced by adverse conditions generated mainly by the aging of current mining operations. The following graph shows the trend variations undergone by the Corporation in terms of energy use intensity (gigajoules (GJ)/fmt) in the last few years.

 

In 2010 this indicator was 28.3 GJ/fmt, slightly lower respect to the previous period. This was due to energy efficiency management of processes implemented by Codelco during the year. It answers to a number of initiatives developed in productive and services processes that come from opportunities for improvement that originate from the operators of the processes or best practices transferred.

 

 

 

New Energy Sources

New energy sources are a real contribution to the world’s energy scenario, with greater demand and insufficient built generation capacity, with volatile and increasing prices.

 

Coherent to this situation, Codelco has begun exploring different kinds of energy sources, taking into account availability and proximity to divisions. These sources are: wind, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, kinetic energy from tailings and heat recovery from smelter flue gases.

 

A portfolio of divisional initiatives that have already past exploration phase has been created. These are projects led by divisions and in different phases of development and evaluation.

 

 

 

 

Water

Water, a scarce resource and essential for life, is also a strategic consumable for mining operations and projects. Management must be efficient to ensure a sustainable use. This is a challenge especially in the north of Chile, where traditional water resources are no longer available. Mining as a user of great volumes of water, will require to make important investments to enable the use of new sources and to foster the creation of processes with an ever decreasing use of water.

 

Since 2008, Codelco has a Corporate Strategy for Water Resources that organizes, systematizes and directs divisional efforts to grant sustainable water supply for its operations and processes. Likewise, since 2009 it has implemented a Master Plan for Water Resources –updated during 2010 – of which one of the challenges was the Instrumentation Plan for divisional Water Resources, with the purpose of designing and implementing information systems to enable reporting of water extractions and ensure compliance with the Water Efficiency in Mining Protocol, subscribed by Codelco during 2009, through the Mining Council with the Ministry of Mining, the Ministry of Public Works, the General Water Department and the National Mining Society (Sonami).

 

Following are the water withdrawal and recirculation values in the Corporation for 2010. Total water withdrawal amounted to 157.9 million cubic meters (m3), 8.7 million m3 lower than 2009 records. This proves that efforts carried out to decrease water withdrawal and promote efficient use at productive processes, with a recirculation percentage of 73%, slightly higher to last year’s reported figure (72%). This value reflects an increased efficiency in the use of this resource, taking into account that production levels remained practically the same from year.

 

EN8Total water withdrawal by source. EN10Percentage and total volume of water recycled and reused.

 

Reported withdrawal values correspond to total water used in each division, both in productive processes and in transversal processes (trucks washing, irrigation, among other). Recirculation percentage is calculated dividing the total amount of recirculated water by the total water used in divisions, including capture, recirculation and net flow of water reserves.

 

Towards Water Accounting

 

During 2010, and after exploring several methodologies, Codelco decided to apply water accounting to obtain complete information on the use of water throughout the Corporation. The methodology had to meet a wide range of requirements, such as being consistent with other reporting initiatives, as GRI or the Water Disclosure Project, and represent the concerns of the industry in the use of water, applicable to unique industry characteristics and enable a comparison among mining companies.

 

The chosen methodology was developed by the Minerals Council of Australia and the Sustainable Mining Institute of the University of Queensland, developed in 2005, and aimed at applying consistent and structured guidelines to identify, measure, record and report information regarding water.

 

This methodology defines two levels of analysis: the input-output model, that provides a consistent focus to quantify water input and output based on the sources and destinations, and determine the use and disposal of water for a given facility; and the operational model that provides a guideline to assess water processes within operational facilities, or, in other words, to measure efficiency in the use of the resource in a given process.

 

 

Pilot test at El Teniente

El Teniente Division is located in the Cental area of the Andes in Chile. Water in the high area of the division is withdrawn from several natural sources among which there are superficial runoff and reservoir, located mainly in the basins of the Coya, Teniente, Sapos, Blanco, Pangal and Cachapoal rivers. There are other facilities in lower zones of Rancagua and Carén supplied mainly though ground water wells.

 

The region where El Teniente Division is located presents a cold temperate weather, with winter rain and snow. Annual average rainfall varies from 800 mm in the lower areas to 1,500 mm in the higher area. Average temperatures vary throughout the year from 0° to 21° C.

 

Hydrology in the place is associated to two seasons, a wet season, from April to September, and a dry season, from October to March. The greater part of rainfall received in the basin occurs during the wet season (>90%); however, greater runoff occurs during the dry season (>70%), which means that the tributary basins for this division have a snow regime.

 

The 7,676 thousand m3 represent 15% of total captured water (input), losses can be attributed to sources not accounted for, such as product and byproduct moisture levels, estimation or calculation of evaporation, infiltration losses and other transversal processes not accounted.

 

In this first exercise, part of the data had to be estimated, and therefore the method shall be further refined with the divisions to achieve information systematization and collection of reliable data to improve decision making in water resources.

 

Water use efficiency

Total make-up (freshwater input into processes) in 2010 amounted to 4,650 l/s, equal to 146,642 thousand m3, an improvement compared to the 4,713 liters per second (l/s) used in 2009.

 

The fresh water consumption and specific consumption per metric ton treated in sulphide and oxide lines values presented below, correspond to a theoretical estimations that represent water used integrally in all the processes of each division, and they must therefore not be used to characterize a specific process.

 

 

Efficiency in the use of water in the different processes (oxides and sulphides) is estimated based on the water used in each process. This year, efficiency indicators for the different divisions and processes were:

 

 

Wastewater

 

Wastewaters are all waters discharged from an emission source to a receptor course or body. Discharges by the corporation are regulated by regulation Minsegpres 90/01, regulating discharges to continental superficial waters and marine waters, and Minsegpres 80/05 SDregulating molybdenum and sulphur parameters of the El Teniente Division’s Carén tailings dam seepage, . The authority overseeing compliance for discharge to continental surface waters is the Superintendence of Sanitary Services (SISS), and, in the case of marine waters, the Maritime Authority (Directemar). 

 

Regarding internal management of these discharges, Codelco, in its 2009 Corporate Water Resources and Wastewater Guidelines, commit to maximizing efficiency in the use of water and minimizing generation of wastewaters and their potential impacts on the environment.

Total discharges were 60,090 thousand m3, 28,251 thousand m3 below 2009.

 

There are two processes determining the elimination of wastewaters. The first refers to a change in the classification of a discharge after evaluation by the competent authority, in this case, after an official decision mining drainage was not declared as wastewater. Through this approach, Andina Division eliminated 3 wastewater discharges through SISS resolution 3,103. Until October the latter had discharged, 14,494 thousand m3, thus explaining the decrease in the reported volume compared to previous periods.

 

The second mechanism is related to improvements in the efficiency of productive processes, through reuse and/ or elimination of these discharges. This is the case of Andina Division, where 1 wastewater discharge was eliminated (through SISS resolution 3,103), and of El Teniente Division with 5 Riles in Febrary (through SISS resolution 401), and wastewater discharge in October (as per SISS resolution 2,956). casein both cases there were no discharges generated.

EN21Total water discharge by quality and destination. Distribution by division is:

 

 

 

Codelco updates the situation of wastewaters through the www.codelco.com website.

 

Incidents with environmental impact

 

EN23Total number and volume of significant spills. The Corporate Guideline for the Recording, Classification and Investigation of Incidents with Environmental Impacts establishes the degree of severity of an incident, based upon variables such as duration– by class and type -, quantity and affected area. The guideline was updated and its new version came into force in January 2010.

Category I: minor incident

Category II: moderate incident

Category III: severe incident

Category IV: very severe incident

 

There were 53 incidents with environmental consequences at Codelco in 2010, most of them category II and III. The following table presents the number of incidents with environmental consequences, broken down by category and division.

 

 

Significant Spills

An important part of the incidents with environmental consequences were spills, whose impacts can vary depending on the magnitude of the spill.

 

During 2010, three significant incidents took place in Codelco, classified as Category IV or very severe. All of them were associated to tailings management.

 

Two of these incidents took place at the Andina Division. The first one occurred on February 27, when, due to the earthquake in the central zone of Chile, a five ton rock broke off, impacting a tailings duct in the Pocuro sector. An estimated volume of 787 m3 was spilt, affecting a river and neighboring fields in the area. The second spillage occurred on April 28th, as a water overflow from the concentrator plant, spilling 15 m3 of tailings. In both cases, immediate measures were taken to avoid significant impacts affecting neighbors in the area and on rivers near the facilities.

 

The third significant spill occurred on September 5th on the road to the Radomiro Tomic mine, at the Codelco Norte Division. Due to the overflowing of an auxiliary tailings pipe, 1,200 m3 of substances was spilled, affecting soil. The immediate measures taken to minimize the flow consisted in the elimination, through a second auxiliary pipe, of the flow together with cleaning activities

Raw materials

 

EN1Materials used by weight or volume. The basic raw material used by Codelco in its processes is mineral rock bearing copper and other metals.

 

 

Semi finished Products

 

EN1Materials used by weight or volume.  Apart from mineral rock, Codelco processes a variety of semi finished materials obtained from sources external to each division. These materials are the following:

 

 

 

Main Supplies

 

EN1Materials used by weight or volume. As any industry, Codelco requires multiple supplies to carry out its productive process. The most relevant used during 2010 were:

 

Biodiversity

 

Although Codelco does not directly use resources originating from biodiversity, such as animal and plant species, it recognizes that the development of mineral extraction and processing activities could have a direct or indirect effect over it, through territory occupation – with facilities and trucks – use of water, air emissions and the transport of supplies and products.

 

Codelco divisions are located in the northern and central parts of Chile, with work units located in the high mountains, in the valley, and off the coast in several latitudes, thus biodiversity varies greatly from species adapted to desert habitats to those that live in mediterranean climates or temperate climates with winter rains.

 

 

Codelco commits to promoting and favoring biodiversity conservation and to ensuring the services these habitats provide to communities.

 

 

To ensure compliance with each of these commitments, Codelco developed, during 2010, a Biodiversity Plan that establishes specific activities for the 2011-2012 period.

 

Within this context, project evaluation at each division and the Corporate Headquarters, include the identification, from initial stages of each project, the possible impacts on biodiversity – mainly to plants and animals – planning the implementation of control and mitigation measures when applicable.

 

Also, voluntary initiatives regarding research, conservation, and recuperation of plants and animals, as well as other elements in some ecosystems associated to the work centers, have been developed. Also, within the framework of the Environmental Assessment in Chile, relevant projects have contemplated several commitments associated to developing initiatives favoring biodiversity.

 

Activities under development during 2010, and other aspects related to biodiversity for each division, are described in the following diagram:

 

 

 Biodiversity-rich areas

 

EN11Location and size of land owned, leased, managed in, or adjacent to, protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value outside protected areas. EN12Description of significant impacts of activities, products, and services on biodiversity in protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value outside protected areas. MM2The number and percentage of total sites identified as requiring biodiversity management plans according to stated criteria, and the number (percentage) of those sites with plans in place. Codelco owns land that has been formally recognized as biodiversity-rich are located in the Rinconada de Huechún estate, of the Andina Division, and the Los Cobres de Loncha Estate, of the El Teniente Division. Both areas are located close to tailings dams and we have defined areas for biodiversity conservation in the vicinity.

 

Strategies and actions are being developed to handle possible impacts upon these areas.

 

The Rinconada de Huechún Estate, located in Tiltil, V Region, has an ecological preservation area of 1,033 hectares and another ecological protection area of 1,618 hectares. These sectors are part of an ecosystem rich in bird species, and are part of a natural resource management and conservation plan, that has a fauna surveillance program to identify possible impacts.

 

Regarding the Los Cobres de Loncha Ecologic Estate, located in Alhué area, on the coastal mountain range, we find the Roblería del Cobre de Loncha National Reserve (5,980 ha), handed over by the El Teniente Division on gratuitous loan to the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) for its management. This reserve contains plant and animal species that have been classified as vulnerable, most of them endemic, and belonging mainly to the Sclerophyll forest type, among which we find peumo (Cryptocarya alba), boldo (Peumus boldus), soapbark (Quillaja saponaria), hualo (Nothofagus glauca), and the Chilean palm tree (Jubaea chilensis).

 

As for environmental impacts recognized on these biodiversity-rich areas, in the Roblería del Cobre de Loncha National Reserve, these correspond to those generated by the operation of the tailings dam, highlighting that the flooding of native forests adjacent to the pond, there has been important impacto to native flora habitat.

 

Although these impacts are negative, we have been carrying out a forest compensation program n the area, through planting of native tree species on a surface area equivalent to that affected by the tailings, and a rescue and relocation program of captured individuals to lands located in the highest elevations and with nonimpacted environments. In the case of the Rinconada de Huechún estate, the dam operations do not affect the biodiversity- rich preservation and conservation areas.

 

Additionally, Codelco neighbors with biodiversity-rich areas, which do not have formal management plans.

• Rio Blanco National Reserve, which limits with the Andina Division, has an extension of 10,175 ha. This area is included in the National Protected Areas System (Snaspe), with no record of significant environmental impacts.
• The Port of Barquito belongs to the Salvador Division and is found in the Chañaral bay. This marine area is mainly comprised of microalgae and benthonic invertebrates. The nature of the impact is pollution through the introduction of substances associated to port activities. Reports of the surveillance programs show that impacts are not significant – or irreversible – as long as operations are maintained within quality and safety standards established by the division.

 

Plant and Animal Species and their Conservation State

 

EN15Number of IUCN Red List species and national conservation list species with habitats in areas affected by operations, by level of extinction risk. As a result of the surveillance carried out in biodiversity-rich areas as well as those where divisions carry out biodiversity conservation activities we have identified the following plant and animal species, along with their respective vulnerability status.

 

Smelter Emissions and Waste

 

Smelter Emissions

Codelco has four copper concentrate smelters that generate mainly sulphur dioxide (SO2) and arsenic (As) emissions, both determined by means of mass balances. They also emit particulate matter (PM10), measured through isokinetic sampling method in regulated stacks, and according to procedures defined by the Ministry of Health.

 

These smelters comply with regulations applicable in the cities were they operate, and for the surrounding areaThey are also regulated in terms of the emission of these contaminants.

 

 

EN20NOx, SOx, and other significant air emissions by type and weight..

Industrial Waste

In the mining industry, waste generation and the proper handling of the same is an important environmental concern. At Codelco, each division is responsible for classifying waste and segregating them according to their hazard at each site, quantifying and recording each type of waste based on actual weight or volume calculation.

 

 

EN22Total weight of waste by type and disposal method.

 

EN24Weight of transported, imported, exported, or treated waste deemed hazardous under the terms of the Basel Convention Annex I, II, III, and VIII, and percentage of transported waste shipped internationally.Given that reduction, recycling and reuse is part of waste management at each divisions, in order to minimize and control the environmental impact of their generation, it is important to highlight that al waste generated is landfilled or disposet through authorized national hazardous waste management companies, keeping adequate record through the Reporting and Monitoring of Hazardous Wastes System (SIDREP) of the Ministry of Health.

 

Massive Mineral Waste

 

Productive processes associated to the mining industry generate massive mineral wastes. For the Corporation, management of this kind of waste is a challenge given its special characteristics: large volume and diverse disposal means. Although when managed properly there is no important risk to human health or the environment, they require innovative and creative solutions to encourage their reuse and recycling.

 

 

MM3Total amounts of overburden, rock, tailings, and sludges and their associated risks.

 

 

Environmental fines

 

EN28Monetary value of significant fines and total number of non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations During 2010 Codelco processed the payment of three environmental fines, in the Salvador and El Teniente divisions.

 

Environmental investments

 

EN30Total environmental protection expenditures and investments by type. During 2010, Codelco invested US$ 61,6 million in environmental and decontamination projects, among which we highlight the following:

 

Salvador Division

• Implementing a wastewater management solution in Potrerillos.

 

Andina Division

• Construction of a hydraulic barrier to intercept infiltrations of the Ovejería tailings dam.

 

Ventanas Division

• Construction of a new temporary hazardous waste storage facility. El Teniente Division
• Execution and construction of the fifth phase of the Carén reservoir.

Projects presented to the EAS

 

During 2010, Codelco presented 20 projects to the Environmental Assessment System (EAS): 18 were Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) and 2 Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). One EIA corresponded to the New Mine Level project in the El Teniente division, and the other to the Copper and Molybdenum Recovery from Tailings Plant project, in the Andina division.

Of the projects presented during 2010, 11 were approved and 9 are currently undergoing approval processes.

In EAS project approval matters, the most relevant projects approved during this year were:

1. EIS Underground Chuquicamanta mine, Codelco Norte Division
2. EIS Ministro Hales Mine Modifications, Codelco Norte Division
3. EIS Turquesa Open Pit Remaining Mineral Exploitation, Salvador Division
4. EIS Geologic Prospecting, Andina Division
5. EIS Rajo Sur Exploitation Project, El Teniente Division
6. EIS Transport of Refinery Cleanup Sludge, Ventanas Division
7. EIS Anodic Slime Transport, Corporate Headquarters

Impacts, risks and opportunities of our products

 

Materials stewardship

MM11Programs and progress relating to materials stewardship. Codelco, by means of research carried out by the International Copper Association (ICA) regarding the use of materials, mainly through its Health and Environment program (H&E), and other local and international studies, seeks to understand the impacts associated to the use of Copper in all its forms, and simultaneously ensure that all regulations are based on scientifically sound evidence, ensuring access to different markets.

 

Like any mining company, Codelco has a complex production chain that involves a large amount of materials and minerals, and whose management is necessary throughout the entire production process.

 

Among the key actions to face its responsibility, Codelco has achieved important definitions and commitments of the supply chain. In turn, these activities are related to the ecoefficiency and sustainability assessment of products.

 

 

Codelco understands copper stewardship, as a continuous process that seeks to increase the metal’s value and its uses in society in a responsible, consistent, and preoccupied manner. Establishing a shared commitment with the stakeholders in the production, use, final disposal and recycling of copper is essential for a process that will benefit the companies, their workers, their customers, and society in general.

 

 

 

Carbon Footprint and other Life Cycle Indicators

EN26Initiatives to mitigate environmental impacts of products and services, and extent of impact mitigation. Codelco has worked on calculating its products carbon footprint for several years, within the context of its Life Cycle inventory or using specific instruments for this indicator.

 

PR1Life cycle stages in which health and safety impacts of products and services are assessed for improvement, and percentage of significant products and services categories subject to such procedures. In 2010, Copper Life Cycle Inventory models were perfected. These models include productive processes “from cradle to gate”, that is, from the extraction of the mineral rock to the placement of the product on a means of transport that will take it to port. The model developed this year, which fed off the information gathered during 2009, constitutes the most polished inventory version in the Corporation, including matters that were not included previously such as the assignment of credits for sulphuric acid production associated to Codelco smelters. This project is parallel to the life cycle inventory developed by the ICA at an international level, an initiative that still hasn’t delivered results in its first phase.

 

 

The calculation of the carbon footprint is a task that involves methodological definitions that can have important impacts on the results obtained. Hence the communication and use of carbon footprints must be carried out carefully for defining and transparently communicating said definitions. For example, very different carbon footprints are obtained for the copper produced by a single company if the universe of supplies within the scope of the study is changed, or if different emission factors are used for electric supply.

 

Due to this, Codelco has not made its carbon footprint calculations public. While there isn’t a sole methodological framework accepted by all areas and companies, communicating the carbon footprint without its full methodological context only brings about inadequate comparisons.

 

However, some trends that characterize the copper carbon footprint in Chile can be analyzed.

 

PR3Type of product and service information required by procedures, and percentage of significant products and services subject to such information requirements. (R) For example, the carbon footprint for a cathode in the El Teniente division (2009) was strongly dominated by emissions associated to the mineral concentration stage, while almost 70% of the El Teniente copper cathode carbon footprint responds to emissions associated to the Central Interconnected System in the generation of electricity consumed by the division.

 

 

Percentage contributions of unit processes to the carbon footprint of a ton of electro refined cathode produced in 2009 in the El Teniente Division. For this calculation, we considered an El Teniente anode electrorrefined in Ventanas Divison.

 

Percentage contributions of three categories of consumables to the carbon footprint of a ton of electro refined cathodes produced in the El Teniente operation during 2009. Categories are: fuels used directly in operations; emissions associated to generation of electric power consumed and emissions associated to the generation of other material supplies (steel, limestone, oxygen, among others).

 

This situation contrasts with that of an open pit mine for a Chuquicamata electro refined cathode, in which the mine’s contribution increases significantly, due to the intensive use of fuel in the mineral’s transport.

 

 

Percentage contributions of unit processes to the carbon footprint of a ton of electro refined cathode produced in 2009 in Chuquicamata, Codelco Norte division.

 

Finally, the following graph shows the contributions to the carbon footprint, per supply, of an electro-obtained cathode in Radomiro Tomic in 2009.

 

 

Percentage contributions of three categories of consumables to the carbon footprint of a ton of electroobtained cathode produced in the Radomiro Tomic operation in 2009. This process corresponds to acid leaching of copper oxide minerals.

 

 

A common element that can be observed in the carbon footprint of all Codelco products is the huge relevance of indirect emissions associated to electric power generation for use in the divisions. This is a key factor, as it implies that over 50% of the carbon footprint responds to greenhouse gas emissions profile of third parties which are not not within the scope of the Corporation.

 

Customer Support

 

A transparent relationship, based on trust, which promotes the exchange of information between clients and consumers, is vital to ensure access and maintenance of markets. The Corporation, in a multidisciplinary way, promptly answers the requirements that emerge from our clients in diverse areas, such as queries regarding RoHS1 and PoHS2 compliance or compliance with REACH regulations. Furthermore, our clients are informed of those precautions and best practices in the use, management and disposal of our products, as well as responsing to incidents that may involve them. Around 80% of the Corporation products have documented information regarding components, composition and safety precautions. We continue working to cover the rest of the products.

 

The European Union has recently implemented a new classification and labeling system for hazardous substances, known as CLP (Classification, Labeling, and Packaging). This system incorporates to the European Union the principles and methodologies stipulated in the Global Harmonized System (GHS), sponsored by the United Nations.

When registering substances under REACH, Codelco had to include a classification proposal elaborated with CLP criteria, and for those products classified as hazardous, it must implement the corresponding labeling and safety data sheets.

 

During 2010, the elaboration of the classification proposals was finished, with the following products being classified under CLP:

• Anodic slimes.
• Roasted Molybdenite Concentrate
• Copper smelter slags.

Towards the end of 2010, the implementation of labeling and safety data sheets for products was carried out, and is expected to be complete during the first term of 2011.

 

The CLP system for labeling and safety data sheets substantially modifies existing practice, in hazard phrases matters as well as in pictograms and the content of safety data sheets. Regarding the products that did not classify as hazardous according to CLP criteria, Codelco, as a member of the Consortiums, has all the necessary information to substantiate a posture before its clients and other stakeholders.

 

Copper Recycling

 

Today, the concept of reusing and recycling metals plays an important role in the choice and acceptance of materials and products. Recycling has the potential of extending the use of resources, contributing to reduce energy consumption and decreasing the amount of emissions and waste.

 

In 2008, the International Copper Study group (ICSG) calculated that 35% of world copper consumption comes from recycled copper. However, this is not enough to satisfy society’s needs, which is why copper extracted from mineral reserves is still essential.

 

100% recyclable

Copper is one of the few materials that does not degrade or lose its chemical and/or physical properties after being recycled.

 

 

 

Innovative uses for copper

 

One of the most innovative projects Codelco has developed to create new markets is the fabrication, through the EcoSea Farming S.A. subsidiary, of for salmon farming cages. These are copper alloy cages that marketed through a lease and recycle model. The material used to fabricate the cages is recycled at the end of its life, and used to make new cages.

 

Each ton of copper placed in water implies a better use of resources (less carbon footprint), as because it is recycled material, it only requires direct smelting and wire fabrication process, not requiring extractive mining activity, which implies excavation, transporting the rock, grinding, concentrating, among others, highly energy intensive processes.

 

Copper cages have the advantage of not requiring complex processes for their maintenance, since they do not need to be removed from the water or transferred to cleaning centers as was the case with nylon cages, which had to be replaced every six months; this, mainly due to copper’s antifouling property. From a sustainability standpoint, copper cages present an incomparable advantage to nylon cages, since the latter provide an adequate environment for the growth of large quantities of fouling (seaweed, mussels, and other unwanted materials), which must be removed and subsequently, in its decomposition process, emits important quantities of methane to the environment.

 

 

 

Applications for Copper in the Salvador Allende Hospital

 

A trial was carried out in the Salvador Allende Hospital, known as the Copper Hospital, located in Calama, to demonstrate copper’s antimicrobial properties under normal conditions of clinical use. Stretcher rails, table surfaces, IV poles, faucets and other furnishings were made of copper and nickel alloys. Results show that microbial loads decreased by 82%.