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Minera Tres Valles

Minera Tres Valles is a medium-sized copper mining operation majorly owned by the Canadian company, Three Valley Cooper.

What We Do

We are dedicated to the production of Grade A high quality copper cathodes (99.99%). This is done through processing ore from our own mines as well as ore purchased from local small-scale miners.

Our operations are located within the Chalinga, Cárcamo and Chuchiñí valleys, near the towns of Salamanca and Illapel in the southern Coquimbo Region. We focus our mining efforts on the Don Gabriel open pit and the Papomono underground mines.

Sustainable Mining

At Minera Tres Valles, we stand by our high standards of sustainability, safety, environmental compliance, social responsibility, and our relationships with key stakeholders, suppliers and collaborators.

We aim to develop a successful company that grows prosperously with the Choapa Province, thus supporting local development through a number of initiatives, such as:

Third Party Ore

We know that artisanal and small-scale mining generate employment and contribute to the development of our surrounding communities, so our business model highlights the importance of purchasing production from small and medium-sized third party miners. They can operate out of their own deposits or mine from any of the mining properties delivered in the commodatum agreement granted by Minera Tres Valles to local mining unions, taking part in the State’s Regulatory Mining Framework.

Tres Valles Foundation

Minera Tres Valles founded a non-profit organization that is committed to the development of the Province, especially around different town centers and residential areas. We support community initiatives that promote the development of the territory.

Hiring Locally

We constantly work on keeping up our good local hiring rates, prioritizing the incorporation of our communities. The majority of our workers are from the area, with more than 60% coming from the towns of Salamanca and Illapel, in the Coquimbo region.

Health and Safety are our primary goals, forming part of our fundamental principles at Minera Tres Valles. We respect the lives of all those who are connected to Minera Tres Valles, including relatives and local community members. By prioritizing health and safety, we prioritize our people. This has allowed us to implement Covid protection measures that have been closely followed since the beginning of the pandemic

We purchase clean power from an external company that is fueled by biogas energy, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting the development of a circular economy.

Thanks to our Process prioritizing high water recovery and recirculation, our freshwater consumption levels are very low compared to the mining industry.