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 robert.kozak@wsj.com
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