Overview
Tintaya is an open pit copper mining and processing operation located at an elevation of 4,100 metres in the Yauri district of Espinar Province, Cusco region, southern Peru. The orebody presents a mineralisation of copper sulphides and copper oxides.
Tintaya's processing operation comprises both a copper concentrator and a solution extraction/electrowinning (SX/EW) processing plant. Product is trucked to the port of Matarani on the Arequipa region coast, and then shipped to customers worldwide.
Tintaya forms part of Xstrata Copper's Southern Peru Division, headquartered in Arequipa, which also includes the Las Bambas and Antapaccay development projects.
Tintaya commenced production in 1985, and was acquired by BHP Billiton in January 1996 following their acquisition of Magma Copper Company. In June 2006 Xstrata acquired Tintaya from BHP Billiton.
Location
Tintaya is an open pit copper mining and processing operation located at an elevation of 4,100 metres in the Yauri district of Espinar Province, Cusco region, southern Peru.
Mining Operation
Tintaya was Peru's third largest Cu operation in 1999, as well as the country's 6th largest producer of Au. It processed more than 16 000 mtpd of skarn Cu ores at an average grade of 1.6% and produces in excess of 85 000 tonnes of Cu contained in 290 000 metric tonnes of Cu concentrates per year.
The project included reserves located in the following deposits: Tintaya Antapaccay Cu-Au porphyry deposit; Coroccohuayco skarn, and Ccatun Pucara (skarn).
Produces approximately 172,000 tons of Cu concentrates grading 33% Cu, 4.4 oz/ton Ag and 0.156 oz/ton Au. Open pit reserves are nearing depletion. There are potential satellite ore bodies. The Las Chabucas deposit contains 27.6 million tons grading over 3% Cu. If developed, it would be an underground operation accessed from the Tintaya open pit.
Historically more than 90,000 metres have been drilled at Antapaccay, which consists of two adjacent mineral structures: Antapaccay North and Antapaccay South. (Mar 6/07).
