Escondida: a copper operation in Chile
Escondida is an open-pit mine producing copper in Antofagasta region, Chile, operated by BHP. The sources report 1,261.2 kt payable copper (concentrate + cathode) for FY2026 (Jul 2025 to Jun 2026); the basis is the whole operation. In copper content, whole-operation output for CY2025 is about 1,272,000 tonnes (derived here, not printed by the source): about 5.5% of world copper output in 2025 and about 24% of Chile's; it is one of 11 operations on this site whose output can be stated in copper content.
Who owns and operates it?
| Owner | Interest | As of |
|---|---|---|
| BHP | 57.5% | 30 June 2026 |
| Rio Tinto | 30% | 30 June 2026 |
| JECO Corporation | 10% | 30 June 2026 |
| JECO 2 Ltd | 2.5% | 30 June 2026 |
How much does it produce?
| Period | Output | Basis | Where in the source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 (Jul 2025 to Jun 2026) | 1,261.2 kt payable copper (concentrate + cathode) | Whole operation | Production table, Escondida 'Total copper' row (and Copper section headline 'Escondida 1,261 kt (100% basis)', p.3) · BHP Group Limited |
| FY2025 (Jul 2024 to Jun 2025) | 1,304.9 kt payable copper (concentrate + cathode) | Whole operation | Production table, Escondida 'Total copper' row; headline 'Escondida 1,305 kt (100% basis)' p.3 · BHP Group Limited |
| CY2025 | 381.7 kt mined copper, Rio Tinto's 30% share | attributable (Rio Tinto 30%) | share-of-production table 'COPPER Mine production', Escondida row (30%), p.23 · Rio Tinto |
Between FY2025 (Jul 2024 to Jun 2025) and FY2026 (Jul 2025 to Jun 2026) the reported figure fell by 3.3%, in the same unit and on the same basis.
How the copper-content figure is worked out. Rio Tinto reports 381.7 thousand tonnes of mined copper for its 30% share in CY2025. Dividing by 0.30 gives about 1,272 thousand tonnes for the whole mine. BHP's own figure for the year to June 2026, 1,261.2 thousand tonnes of payable copper, is of the same size. World mine production of copper in 2025 was 23,000,000 tonnes (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026); Chile produced 5,300,000 tonnes.
Status: operating, as of 16 July 2026.
- BHP reports payable copper for its financial year to June 2026, shown first. The share of world output uses Rio Tinto's calendar-2025 figure for its 30% share, divided by 0.30.
How does it compare?
Other copper operations on this site: Cerro Verde, Antamina, Morenci, Grasberg, Kamoa-Kakula, Kamoto Copper Company (KCC), Oyu Tolgoi, Las Bambas, Buenavista del Cobre, Toquepala. See where copper comes from for the country totals, the country page for Chile, and BHP for its other operations here.
Sources
- BHP Group Limited: Form 20-F for the year ended 30 June 2026 (annual report (SEC 20-F), FY2026). Opened 3 November 2026; used: p.14 (Escondida ownership 57.5/30/10/2.5; FY26 output text); Escondida property disclosure (coordinates, Item 4/mineral properties); listing and HQ pages.
- BHP Group Limited: BHP Operational review for the year ended 30 June 2026 (Form 6-K dated 16 July 2026) (stock-exchange filing (SEC 6-K), FY2026 (Jul 2025 to Jun 2026)). Opened 3 November 2026; used: p.3 headline; Escondida production table (concentrate/cathode/total, FY26 and FY25).
- BHP Group Limited: BHP Operational Review for the year ended 30 June 2025 (Form 6-K dated 18 July 2025) (stock-exchange filing (SEC 6-K), FY2025 (Jul 2024 to Jun 2025)). Opened 3 November 2026; used: p.3 headline; Escondida production table.
- Rio Tinto: Fourth quarter 2025 production results / operations review (Form 6-K Exhibit 99.1, 21 January 2026) (stock-exchange filing (SEC 6-K), Q4 and CY2025). Opened 3 November 2026; used: pp.10 (copper summary), 23 (share-of-production table), 32 (Oyu Tolgoi operational data).
- U.S. Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Copper (government statistical summary, 2025 (world and country mine production)). Opened 3 November 2026; used: world and country mine production table.
Method and limits
- Reported, not estimated. Output is the figure the operator or owner published, in the unit it used. This site does not estimate output where none is published.
- Shares. A share divides output in copper content by the USGS world or country total for 2025. Where the operator's year is a fiscal year or the unit is a concentrate or a carbonate equivalent, the share is approximate or not given.
- Whole operation or owner's share. The basis column says which. A joint venture's output is never counted twice.
- Partial list. Only operations with a published figure are listed, so the rank is among those on this site, not among every copper mine. Shares of a country's output mix periods and bases, so treat them as indicative.
- Made with AI assistance, checked against sources. The facts were gathered from the documents above by AI-assisted research and re-checked against those documents by a second, independent pass; the page text is generated from the data. No professional review took place. How the site is made. To report an error, contact us; fixes are logged on the corrections page.