Sandvik will be enable Codelco to operate its new fleet of Sandvik LH517i and Sandvik LH621i loaders autonomously at the underground copper mine.

The implementation of the project started in December 2020. It is expected to be complete by the middle of this year.

Sandvik and Codelco first began their automation partnership in 2004 at El Teniente with the first-ever AutoMine Loading system installation. AutoMine is in operation at Diablo Regimiento and Panel 2, the other two blocks of the El Teniente mine.

"AutoMine Fleet…provides automatic mission control and automatic traffic management for the equipment fleet, while system operators remotely supervise the process," Sandvik officials pointed out.

"Codelco's objective is to dramatically increase the productivity, safety and efficiency of its operations with AutoMine and this project is a continuation of Codelco's 10-year strategic program to prolong the life of its existing mines."

State-owned Codelco is the top copper producer in the world, controlling about 19% of the world's copper reserves. It is also ranked as the second-biggest producer of molybdenum worldwide, according to Sandvik.