Personnel wearing protective equipment inside an underground tunnel at El Teniente Mine in Chile, with tunnel infrastructure and mining facilities visible in the background.

Client:
Corporación Nacional del Cobre (Codelco)

Construction period:
2019 – ongoing

City/Country:
Rancagua, Chile

El Teniente Mine – Túnel Correa

Chile

Expanding Infrastructure at the World’s Largest Underground Copper Mine

Located around 80 kilometres south of Santiago in the Andes Mountains, El Teniente is the largest underground copper deposit in the world, with more than 4,500 kilometres of underground tunnels and galleries. Züblin International GmbH Chile SpA has been involved in development projects at the mine since 1992, supporting the long-term expansion of this strategically important mining operation.

The Túnel Correa CC-084 project forms part of the mine’s ongoing infrastructure development and includes the horizontal excavation of the Correa Tunnel and a dedicated personnel access tunnel. A key element of the project was the installation of a steel pipeline with an internal HDPE lining, designed to meet mine’s operational requirements.

Scope of Work

Horizontal excavation of the Correa Tunnel
Construction of a personnel access tunnel
Underground tunnelling and mine development works
Installation of a 24-inch steel pipeline with HDPE lining
Civil engineering and supporting infrastructure works

Underground tunnel at El Teniente Mine in Chile with workers in protective equipment, service vehicles, rock support systems and operational mining infrastructure visible along the excavation.