Erlangen, Germany - Minera Lumina Copper Chile has ordered three Simine Mill GD gearless mill drives and electrical equipment from Siemens. The systems will be used to develop the new Caserones copper mine in the Atacama region of Chile. Mining and processing of copper and molybdenum are scheduled to start there in 2013. The gearless drive technology ensures efficient, energy-saving grinding of the ore. The total value of the order exceeds 30 million euros.

Siemens is supplying a gearless drive system for a 40 foot, 23 megawatt SAG mill as part of the Caserones copper mine project. Two more 20 megawatt systems will drive 27 foot ball mills. Their continuously variable speeds enable the mills to adapt quickly to changes in the properties of the grinding stock. The elimination of mechanical components between motor and mill not only reduces wear and maintenance but also considerably increases plant availability. In addition, Siemens will supply the equipment for the main power substation of the mine, including three 100-MVA-transformers, 245-kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) as well as the control system and protection systems for the entire substation.

The Caserones copper deposits lie in Northern Chile at altitudes of between 4,200 and 4,600 meters. Minera Lumina Copper recently began building the ore processing plant. It is scheduled to start producing refined copper in the spring of 2013, and copper and molybdenum concentrates in the fall of the same year. The plant has estimated annual capacities of 180,000 tonnes of copper and 3,000 tonnes of molybdenum. Minera Lumina Copper Chile is a subsidiary of Pan Pacific Copper and Mitsui & Co. which are both headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The companies are pushing ahead with the development of new mining complexes all round the world in order to meet expected increases in demand in the Asian market and position itself as a broadly based copper producer.