In 2025, our Quellaveco copper mine in Peru celebrates its third year in operation.
Located in the Moquegua Region in the very south of Peru, Quellaveco started production in mid-2022 and is one of the largest greenfield copper mines to be built in recent decades.
Operational excellence in action
Since the beginning, Quellaveco has been an outstanding example of operational excellence in action. Even before starting production, Quellaveco has been setting a high bar, with this exceptional project being delivered on time and on budget.
In terms of operational efficiencies, it sits in the first quartile of the global cost curve and in its first 10 years of production, Quellaveco is expected to produce on average around 300,000 tonnes of copper equivalent per annum with a 33-year Reserve Life. In 2023 and 2024, Quellaveco produced 319,000 and 306,300 tonnes of copper, respectively.
Safety is key to operational excellence
Year on year, Quellaveco reaffirms its commitment to safety. In 2024, it achieved zero fatalities and recorded a 35% reduction in TRIFR to 0.96 from 1.47 in 2023, reflecting a sustained commitment to key initiatives, such as significantly increasing quality leadership time in the field through Visible Felt Leadership and Safe Leadership practices, with a particular focus on direct engagement with key contractors’ workforces.
Awareness campaigns and targeted actions also played a crucial role, addressing critical topics such as hand and finger safety, fatigue management in the workplace, and the right to say no to unsafe work. In 2024, Quellaveco recorded a 530% increase in high-potential hazard reporting, as a result of an enhanced focus on preventive management.
The importance of executing Planned Task Observations was similarly reinforced. Among technological innovations, the use of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems was consolidated, contributing to the reduction of unsafe behaviours such as mobile phone use and speeding while operating vehicles, supported by real-time alert systems.
A blueprint for FutureSmart MiningTM
Quellaveco was our first generation of FutureSmart mine, integrating innovation in both sustainability and technology to deliver improved business and ESG outcomes.
As a powerful example of this sustainable approach in action, Quellaveco has been supplied with 100% renewable electricity since April 2023. The mine also uses Anglo American’s innovative flotation process, coarse particle recovery (CPR)allowing the early rejection of coarse waste and greater water recovery. At Quellaveco, CPR has resulting in an additional c.600 tonnes of copper per month to be recovered that would otherwise likely be consigned to tailings.
