文华财经（综合编译 刘娜）--据圣地亚哥11月8日消息，全球最大的铜矿--智利Codelco公司周四表示，正在执行新的新矿计划，届时2009起新的Gaby铜矿年产量将超过160,000吨。最初的计划为一旦全力生产，Baby铜矿每年将生产150,000吨阴极铜。在国际铜价位于高位的时间好于预期之际，国有Codelco公司希望能够增产。

State-run Codelco is working to boost output to take advantage of copper prices that have stayed higher for longer than expected -- in what many call a commodities super-cycle supported by ravenous Chinese demand. The mining giant is also trying to bring new output on line to compensate for aging mines where ore grades are falling. Codelco Chief Executive Jose Pablo Arellano said the mine, which is due to start production in March, will have output of 100,000 tonnes in 2008. The $907 million copper mine is 83.6 percent complete and will operate with fully remote control trucks, the first in the world to do so, Arellano said. The Gaby mine is a joint-venture project with China's largest metals trader, state-owned China Minmetals Corp. Under the terms of the Minmetals-Codelco agreement, the Chinese partner will invest in the mine in exchange for advanced sales of copper over the next 15 years. The agreement also gives Minmetals the option to buy a stake in the mine of at least 25 percent, but no more than 49 percent. Arellano said on Thursday Minmetals has not exercised its rights as of yet, and does not have a deadline to do so. China is the world's largest consumer of copper, but imports more than half of its copper as metal, scrap and ore. Gaby Chief Executive Eliseo Perez said the company continues explorations of copper sulfides at the property but that those would not be exploited until after oxides are spent, after some 15 years. The mining of the Gaby pit will involve processing 618 million tonnes of mineral oxides, with average grade of 0.41 percent copper.

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