The State Mining Association of Chile award for Sierra Gorda

The prize was awarded during a ceremonial gala organised by SONAMI. It is a trade union institution that groups and represents large, medium and small-scale companies in Chile in the mining, metal and non-metallic sectors.

During the SONAMI gala, the Sierra Gorda mine was represented by Miguel Baeza, Vice-President for Legal, Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Development.

The SONAMI award corresponds to the effects of reorganisation activities carried out by the Board of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., both in the area of production and management, which resulted in a systematic increase in the extraction and processing of ore in the Chilean mine.

It is worth recalling that in the first half of 2019, Sierra Gorda recorded a 19% increase in the production of paid copper, compared to the first half of 2018. The increase in extraction in the Sierra Gorda mine also contributed to an increase in production in the first half of 2019 of precious metals, including silver - by 12% and TPM (Total Precious Metals, the sum of precious metals: gold, platinum and palladium) by 55% compared to the same period of 2018.

"Optimisation of operation of the Sierra Gorda processing plant makes it possible to gradually increase the volume of ore processing and improve the efficiency of the production process. Our work aims to maximise the value of the mine's existing infrastructure," Paweł Gruza, Vice President of Foreign Assets, concluded the results of the Sierra Gorda mine.

Further improvement of Sierra Gorda's processing parameters will be achieved through preparation of an Integrated Plan, which will cover a new scope of work, timetable and costs concerning optimisation of the technological line and increase in the processing of sulphide ore.