Table 6.5
Energy Consumption in Chilean Copper Mining by Process
Unit: TJ · Cochilco, Anuario Cochilco 2025 · 2005 to 2025
| Series | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open-pit mining | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fuels | 24,821 | 26,807 | 34,699 | 39,656 | 45,857 | 42,375 | 48,777 | 52,055 | 56,298 | 59,975 | 61,244 | 61,902 | 64,187 | 67,493 | 68,125 | 67,674 | 71,108 | 74,529 | 77,294 | 81,256 | 88,436 |
| Electricity | 3,784 | 3,688 | 4,202 | 4,609 | 4,959 | 4,274 | 4,131 | 4,605 | 4,518 | 4,936 | 4,290 | 4,294 | 4,195 | 4,799 | 4,397 | 4,613 | 4,646 | 4,525 | 4,522 | 4,586 | 4,303 |
| Subtotal | 28,605 | 30,495 | 38,901 | 44,265 | 50,816 | 46,649 | 52,908 | 56,660 | 60,816 | 64,911 | 65,534 | 66,196 | 68,382 | 72,292 | 72,522 | 72,287 | 75,754 | 79,054 | 81,816 | 85,842 | 92,739 |
| Underground mining | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fuels | 1,121 | 1,357 | 1,381 | 837 | 1,131 | 703 | 982 | 663 | 729 | 1,161 | 1,254 | 1,472 | 1,434 | 1,295 | 1,356 | 1,488 | 1,905 | 2,024 | 2,014 | 2,214 | 2,407 |
| Electricity | 1,310 | 1,470 | 1,293 | 1,353 | 1,457 | 1,295 | 1,529 | 1,729 | 1,725 | 1,814 | 1,627 | 1,470 | 1,493 | 1,474 | 2,057 | 2,500 | 2,735 | 2,855 | 2,785 | 3,035 | 2,846 |
| Subtotal | 2,431 | 2,827 | 2,674 | 2,190 | 2,588 | 1,998 | 2,511 | 2,392 | 2,454 | 2,975 | 2,881 | 2,942 | 2,927 | 2,769 | 3,413 | 3,988 | 4,640 | 4,879 | 4,799 | 5,249 | 5,253 |
| Concentrator plant | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fuels | 818 | 691 | 710 | 793 | 793 | 698 | 734 | 658 | 797 | 760 | 781 | 929 | 952 | 1,244 | 1,152 | 1,203 | 1,269 | 1,621 | 1,741 | 1,684 | 1,310 |
| Electricity | 27,450 | 27,660 | 29,608 | 27,899 | 30,113 | 30,268 | 33,946 | 38,666 | 41,436 | 43,685 | 44,535 | 47,601 | 47,165 | 52,333 | 49,440 | 51,009 | 52,326 | 51,188 | 52,006 | 57,449 | 58,187 |
| Subtotal | 28,268 | 28,351 | 30,318 | 28,692 | 30,906 | 30,966 | 34,680 | 39,324 | 42,233 | 44,445 | 45,316 | 48,530 | 48,117 | 53,577 | 50,592 | 52,212 | 53,595 | 52,809 | 53,747 | 59,133 | 59,497 |
| Smelter | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fuels | 7,736 | 7,558 | 7,519 | 7,079 | 7,122 | 7,299 | 6,540 | 7,369 | 6,546 | 7,411 | 7,263 | 7,337 | 7,392 | 6,577 | 5,735 | 6,418 | 6,413 | 6,571 | 6,012 | 5,593 | 4,936 |
| Electricity | 5,877 | 5,915 | 5,886 | 5,425 | 5,377 | 5,835 | 5,348 | 6,391 | 6,493 | 6,544 | 6,037 | 6,389 | 6,540 | 5,986 | 5,454 | 6,519 | 6,680 | 6,345 | 5,756 | 5,215 | 4,512 |
| Subtotal | 13,613 | 13,473 | 13,405 | 12,504 | 12,499 | 13,134 | 11,888 | 13,760 | 13,039 | 13,955 | 13,300 | 13,726 | 13,932 | 12,563 | 11,189 | 12,937 | 13,093 | 12,916 | 11,768 | 10,808 | 9,448 |
| Refinery | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fuels | 1,887 | 1,537 | 1,482 | 1,180 | 1,176 | 917 | 1,045 | 1,762 | 1,385 | 2,038 | 1,906 | 1,500 | 1,599 | 1,858 | 1,685 | 1,729 | 1,838 | 1,530 | 1,586 | 1,296 | 1,137 |
| Electricity | 1,368 | 1,182 | 1,203 | 1,269 | 1,344 | 1,383 | 1,336 | 1,187 | 1,127 | 1,160 | 1,189 | 1,241 | 1,133 | 1,201 | 927 | 1,194 | 1,145 | 1,046 | 1,001 | 866 | 746 |
| Subtotal | 3,255 | 2,719 | 2,685 | 2,449 | 2,520 | 2,300 | 2,381 | 2,949 | 2,512 | 3,198 | 3,095 | 2,741 | 2,732 | 3,059 | 2,612 | 2,923 | 2,983 | 2,576 | 2,587 | 2,162 | 1,883 |
| Leaching (SX-EW) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fuels | 4,604 | 4,896 | 5,670 | 6,079 | 6,345 | 6,652 | 6,024 | 5,579 | 4,199 | 4,473 | 4,595 | 3,764 | 4,092 | 3,647 | 3,339 | 4,137 | 4,522 | 4,601 | 4,848 | 3,730 | 3,958 |
| Electricity | 15,977 | 17,136 | 19,200 | 21,123 | 21,752 | 22,209 | 22,409 | 21,452 | 21,834 | 20,752 | 21,039 | 20,436 | 19,789 | 19,745 | 18,996 | 18,906 | 18,575 | 19,121 | 17,546 | 17,222 | 16,783 |
| Subtotal | 20,581 | 22,032 | 24,870 | 27,202 | 28,097 | 28,861 | 28,433 | 27,031 | 26,033 | 25,225 | 25,634 | 24,200 | 23,881 | 23,392 | 22,335 | 23,043 | 23,097 | 23,722 | 22,394 | 20,952 | 20,741 |
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fuels | 1,481 | 1,501 | 1,479 | 1,368 | 1,978 | 1,993 | 1,631 | 6,390 | 3,976 | 3,557 | 3,267 | 2,566 | 3,833 | 3,786 | 4,360 | 3,364 | 4,172 | 3,448 | 3,276 | 4,067 | 3,463 |
| Electricity | 3,065 | 2,694 | 2,463 | 2,974 | 3,317 | 3,683 | 3,174 | 3,615 | 3,958 | 4,371 | 4,244 | 3,066 | 4,564 | 3,486 | 4,079 | 2,879 | 3,774 | 4,076 | 4,612 | 4,567 | 5,175 |
| Subtotal | 4,546 | 4,195 | 3,942 | 4,342 | 5,295 | 5,676 | 4,805 | 10,005 | 7,934 | 7,928 | 7,511 | 5,632 | 8,397 | 7,272 | 8,439 | 6,243 | 7,946 | 7,524 | 7,888 | 8,634 | 8,638 |
| Seawater use (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Electricity | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 2,198 | 3,618 | 4,647 | 5,454 | 5,289 | 8,471 | 8,274 | 9,544 | 10,339 | 12,250 | 12,420 |
| Subtotal | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 2,198 | 3,618 | 4,647 | 5,454 | 5,289 | 8,471 | 8,274 | 9,544 | 10,339 | 12,250 | 12,420 |
| TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fuels | 42,468 | 44,347 | 52,940 | 56,992 | 64,402 | 60,637 | 65,733 | 74,476 | 73,930 | 79,375 | 80,310 | 79,470 | 83,489 | 85,900 | 85,752 | 86,013 | 91,227 | 94,324 | 96,771 | 99,840 | 105,647 |
| Electricity | 58,831 | 59,745 | 63,855 | 64,652 | 68,319 | 68,947 | 71,873 | 77,645 | 81,091 | 83,262 | 85,159 | 88,115 | 89,526 | 94,478 | 90,639 | 96,091 | 98,155 | 98,700 | 98,567 | 105,190 | 104,972 |
| Total | 101,299 | 104,092 | 116,795 | 121,644 | 132,721 | 129,584 | 137,606 | 152,121 | 155,021 | 162,637 | 165,469 | 167,585 | 173,015 | 180,378 | 176,391 | 182,104 | 189,382 | 193,024 | 195,338 | 205,030 | 210,619 |
Notes of the table
- (1) Hasta 2014, el consumo eléctrico asociado al uso de agua de mar se encontraba incluido en el ítem "Servicios". A partir de 2015, este consumo se desagrega y se reporta de manera independiente. / Until 2014, electricity consumption associated with the use of seawater was included under the "Services" category. From 2015 onwards, this consumption is disaggregated and reported separately.
Source stated in the table
Comisión Chilena del Cobre (COCHILCO), en base a información reportada por las empresas mediante encuesta anual / Chilean Copper Commission (COCHILCO), based on information reported by companies through an annual survey
Source: Chilean Copper Commission (Cochilco), Cochilco, Anuario Cochilco 2025 (XLSX), 2026. Read on Oct 6, 2026.
n.d.: no data · n.a.: not applicable · “< 1”: less than one unit.