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Cerro Negro Norte mine

Coordinates: 27°06′20″S 70°20′43″W / 27.1055166667°S 70.3453638889°W / -27.1055166667; -70.3453638889
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Cerro Negro Norte
Cerro Negro Norte is located in Atacama Region
Cerro Negro Norte
Cerro Negro Norte
Cerro Negro Norte is located in Chile
Cerro Negro Norte
Cerro Negro Norte
Location
Atacama Region
CountryChile
Coordinates27°06′20″S 70°20′43″W / 27.1055166667°S 70.3453638889°W / -27.1055166667; -70.3453638889
Production
ProductsIron ore concentrate
History
Opened2010–2014
Owner
CompanyCompañía Minera del Pacífico
Year of acquisition1971

Cerro Negro Norte (CNN[1]) is an open-pit iron mine in northern Chile about 30 km north of the city of Copiapó in inland Atacama Region. The ore of the mine is one of various iron oxide-apatite (IOA) ores that are part of the north-south Chilean Iron Belt.

History

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Cerro Negro Norte was originally mined in the 1960s by Compañía Minera Santa Fe.[2] As part of the Allende administration's Chilean nationalization of iron the inactive of Cerro Negro Norte became state-owned in 1971 when the government expired all mining concessions of iron ore deposits that were not being mined.[3]

Cerro Negro Norte opened again in 2010–2014 and in 2021 it had a production capacity of 4 million tons of iron.[4][1] It produces iron ore concentrate that is transported as pulp in pipelines to the port of Punta Totoralillo located 55 km northwest of the mine.[1][5] The mine stores and processes iron ore from smaller mining companies.[1]

In 2014, plans for a desalination plant to provide water for mining operations at it and other mines was announced.[6]

As of 2025 Cerro Negro Norte was the newest of the mines owned and operated by Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP).[1] In early 2025 Compañía Minera del Pacífico submitted a plan to the Environmental Assessment Service to increase iron production capacity at the mine from 4 to 4.5 million metric tons.[1] Among other things the project seeks to improve are the conminution and concentrating plants.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Vera, Matías (2025-02-24). "CMP ingresa proyecto para aumentar producción en mina Cerro Negro Norte". Reporte Minero & Energético (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  2. ^ Zambra, Jorge Eduardo (2018). "Década del '60: Ascenso y auge". Huasco Esencial [Essential Huasco] (in Spanish). Ediciones Mediodía en Punto. p. 152. ISBN 978-956-9170-35-5.
  3. ^ Danús, Hernán (2007). "IV. La minería del hierro y la industria siderúrgica". Crónicas mineras de medio siglo (1950-2000) (in Spanish). Santiago de Chile: RIL Editores. p. 149. ISBN 978-956-284-555-7.
  4. ^ "Cerro Negro Norte". Consejo Minero (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  5. ^ "Cerro Negro Norte – Improvement Project". idom.com. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
  6. ^ Jamasmie, Cecilia (2014-04-16). "Chile's main iron-ore producer to invest $650 million this year". MINING.COM. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  7. ^ "Especial Proyectos Mineros: Cerro Negro Norte, Proyecto Angie y Fundición Hernán Videla Lira". Revista Nueva Minería y Energía (in Spanish). 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-08-17.