The owner of the world’s largest underground copper deposit, Codelco, wants OHL to introduce new technologies using drones for observation, monitoring and inspection, and for control of the tailings canal and gathering detailed information.

Additionally, it will provide ongoing maintenance, operational support and industrial washing of equipment and installations at the complex’s industrial wastewater, thickening and recirculation units, tailings process, hydrometallurgy process, and support to maintenance services and Sewell process.

This project is in addition to others OHL previously performed for the miner; the pair’s first contract was signed in 2012 to develop a copper ore processing plant in División Ministro Hales, in Antofagasta. The €80 million contract included an EPC contract and the operation and maintenance of the system.

OHL later secured three more O&M contracts from Codelco in the same mining division of mobile crushing plant and leaching that totalled €16 million.

Last year, OHL was retained for a €145 million contract for the Talabre Dam expansion in Calama, Antofagasta.

Mining commenced at El Teniente in 1905, and the mine already has over 3,000km of underground drifts.