The first supply of desalinated water has reached our Los Bronces copper mine in Chile, marking an important step towards Anglo American’s target to eliminate the use of fresh water from the operation’s mining processes by 2030.
The new supply comes from Aguas Pacífico’s multipurpose desalination plant in Chile’s Valparaíso Region. Under an agreement with Anglo American, up to 500 litres per second of desalinated water will be supplied to Los Bronces, enough to meet more than 45% of the operation’s water requirements.
The milestone was marked at the Quilapilún Station in Colina, where Daniel Mas, Chile’s dual-portfolio Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism and Mining, officially opened the pipeline valve to begin supplying desalinated water to the operation.
Moving away from fresh water
The new supply forms part of the first phase of Anglo American’s Integrated Water Security Project (IWSP), its principal initiative to progressively replace fresh water at Los Bronces with alternative sources that do not compete with water for human consumption.
Tzveta Tchorbadjieva, interim Chief Executive of Anglo American in Chile, said: “We are very proud of the work that has been done. In 2023, we committed to stop using fresh water in the mining processes at Los Bronces, and we are making strong progress towards delivering on that promise.”
Los Bronces already reuses more than 90% of the water used in its processes. Across its operations in Chile, Anglo American has also exceeded its target to reduce fresh water extraction in water-scarce areas by 50% by 2030 ahead of schedule, achieving a 51% reduction in 2025.
