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By Dave Sherwood
SANTIAGO, April 12 (Reuters) - A resurgence of COVID-19 in
Chile should not dampen output at Anglo American´s sprawling
copper mines in the Andean nation this year, nor is it likely to
pose near-term supply chain problems, the company's top
executive in Chile told Reuters.
Aaron Puna, who took over as CEO of Anglo American in Chile
in 2019, said its Chilean operations had weathered the pandemic
in top shape, and said they were well-prepared to confront the
latest surge in cases and restrictions.
"No concerns at this point," Puna said in an interview.
"We're expecting...we'll deliver exactly as budgeted."
Chile cases spiked this week to pandemic highs, bringing
hospitals to near collapse and prompting authorities to lock
down Santiago, the capital, and close the South American
nation's borders.
Puna said he didn't anticipate near-term issues with output,
shipping or supply chain despite the latest round of
restrictions. "We haven't got any red flags or concerns around
what we see in...the next eight weeks or so," he said.
Anglo was the worst hit among its peers by coronavirus
lockdowns in 2020, including in countries such as South Africa
and Botswana, though its Chile operations emerged largely
unscathed.
Collahuasi, a partnership between Anglo, Glencore
and Japan's Mitsui & Co, boosted its production in 2020
by 11% year-on-year, according to Chile copper agency figures,
while the Anglo American Sur division, which includes Los
Bronces, saw output slip just 5%.
Anglo American also remained on track, Puna said, for
decisions from Chilean environmental regulators on permits for
high-profile operational continuity projects at its Los Bronces
mine near Santiago and at Collahuasi.
Puna said the company was preparing to submit additional
data to regulators in April to ensure "transparency" around the
miner's claims that its Los Bronces continuity project would not
impact glaciers or the water supply of nearby Santiago, key
concerns of local communities and activists.
"Fresh water should be for human consumption," Puna told
Reuters. He said the company would put finishing touches this
year on a plan to "transition in the middle of this decade to
non-freshwater sources for Los Bronces."
"We don't see that we'll be using fresh water beyond
basically 2027," he said.
(Reporting by Dave Sherwood and Fabian Cambero; Editing by
Leslie Adler)
