BHP Billiton Says Rains In Chile Affected Operations -- Update

   By Robert Kozak 
 

LIMA, Peru--BHP Billiton said Thursday that flooding in northern Chile has affected some of its operations, without going into detail.

"Heavy rainfall across northern Chile has affected services in the region. We have ceased activities in certain parts of our operations and continue to monitor the situation prioritizing the safety of our employees and contractors while assessing the impacts on our sites," the company said.

"We will work to safely return to normal operations as soon as possible and any production impact will be reported in our Quarterly Operational Review," it added.

Rains in northern Chile have led a number of mining companies to stop or slow operations in their copper mining operations.

A person with knowledge of the company's operations in Chile said that Escondida, Spence and Cerro Colorado were all affected by the weather, either directly or due to access issues.

BHP Billiton runs the Spence open-pit mine in the Atacama Desert in the north of Chile. It also has the Cerro Colorado operation in northern Chile that produces high purity copper cathodes.

The company is a majority owner of Minera Escondida in the Atacama Desert, which produces copper concentrate and copper cathodes.

Write to Robert Kozak at [e-mail]

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