One distinctive feature of the global mining industry approaching the
twenty-first century is the worldwide commitment of mining houses to
large-scale projects in developing countries. One good example is BHP's
development of the Escondida copper project in Chile. The Escondida
orebody was discovered in 1981 and construction began in July 1988.
Mining began in December 1990 at a design capacity of 320 000 tonnes
of copper contained in concentrate. Out put has grown significantly and
shortly Escondida will become the largest single copper mine in the world
producing copper at the rate of 800 000 tonnes per annum, including 80
000 tonnes of copper metal. Escondida provides a case study of the
development and growth of a large-scale mining operation in a developing
country. Key elements have been innovative financing, the management
of country risk, the recruitment of an excellent workforce, the use of
advanced technologies and best practice in environmental management
and community relations. Escondida is one of the global mining
industry's success stories in the 1990s.