Nueva Centinela PROJECT

Lorbrand idlers and pulleys across the second concentrator at the Centinela copper mine, from the in-plant conveyors to the primary crushing belt feeders.

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PROJECT REFERENCE

Nueva Centinela Second Concentrator

The Nueva Centinela project doubles the processing capacity of the Centinela copper mine by building a new 95,000 t/d concentrator approximately 7 km south of the existing plant. The new plant draws from the Esperanza Sur and Encuentro pits using HPGR technology and a fleet of autonomous haul trucks. Lorbrand's scope was idler and pulley supply for the in-plant conveyors and the primary crushing belt feeders, as well as pulley supply for the overland conveyor.
Location Antofagasta, Chile
Operator Antofagasta Minerals
Lorbrand supply 2025
Industry Copper mining
Centinela retractable idlers for feeder
Centinela retractable idlers for feeder
PROJECT DATA

Scale of the operation.

95,000 t/d
New Concentrator Throughput
US$4.4 billion
Project Investment
144,000 t/y
Added Copper Production
100%
Renewable Electricity
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

What sets Nueva Centinela apart.

Built in Full

Built in Full

Lorbrand's idlers and pulleys were fitted to each belt feeder during VIVA's full assembly in South Africa, in place before dispatch rather than installed at site.

Shipped as Abnormal Loads

Shipped as Abnormal Loads

With Lorbrand's components already in place, each assembled feeder travelled hundreds of kilometres by road as an abnormal load before sea freight from Durban, which is highly unusual at large mining-feeder scale, where the industry norm is to ship in partially-assembled or modularised sections.

Lifted as Complete Units

Lifted as Complete Units

On arrival in Chile each feeder was lifted into position as a complete unit, so Lorbrand's idlers and pulleys arrived exactly as fitted in South Africa, with most of the field assembly work eliminated.

COMPARISON

Why Nueva Centinela took a different route.

✕ Industry norm

Modular Shipping

Belt feeders typically ship in partially-assembled or modularised sections, sized to fit road and sea transport envelopes, with assembly, alignment and tensioning completed at site.

✓ Selected

Factory-Complete from Day One

Feeders were fully assembled in South Africa, then road-freighted as abnormal loads to Durban for sea freight to Chile. On arrival they were lifted into position as complete units, eliminating most of the field assembly work.

The Nueva Centinela project doubles the processing capacity of the Centinela mine by building a new 95,000 t/d concentrator approximately 7 km south of the existing plant. The new plant draws from the Esperanza Sur and Encuentro pits using HPGR technology and a fleet of autonomous haul trucks. Approved by Antofagasta in December 2023 and backed by US$2.5 billion of project finance the following March, the build was reported on schedule and on budget at the company's November 2025 investor site visit.
Lorbrand's components, South African-built idlers and pulleys for the in-plant conveyors and primary crushing belt feeders plus pulleys for the overland conveyor, went into a US$4.4 billion build employing more than 13,000 people at peak construction. It extends a presence in the Chilean copper industry that began at Radomiro Tomic in 1995 and continued through Chuquicamata Subterránea.
When first production starts in 2027, Centinela will rank among the top 15 copper mines in the world by output, adding around 144,000 t/y of copper plus gold and molybdenum by-products. The operation runs on 100% renewable electricity and uses raw (undesalinated) seawater for its processing water, making it one of Chile's lowest-carbon major copper builds.
LORBRAND SCOPE

Engineered for Nueva Centinela.

Lorbrand supplied conveyor idlers and pulleys for the new 95,000 t/d concentrator's in-plant conveyors and primary crushing belt feeders, plus pulleys for the overland conveyor. The components for the belt feeders were fitted to VIVA's fully-assembled units in South Africa ahead of road freight to Durban, sea freight to Chile, and lifting into position at site. Every part was specified to a no-rework standard, since field swaps were not an option.
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PROJECT OUTCOME

When the second concentrator starts production in 2027, Centinela will rank among the top 15 copper mines in the world by output, adding 144,000 t/y of copper plus gold and molybdenum by-products. It runs on 100% renewable electricity and raw (undesalinated) seawater, making it one of Chile's lowest-carbon major copper builds.

— Nueva Centinela · 2025
Pre-assembled belt feeder prior to loading for road transport to port
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