MENU GLOBAL SITES SECTION MENU OUR HISTORY Home About Us Our History ABOUT US Our history began as the Antofagasta (Chili) and Bolivia Railway Company limited, incorporated in London in 1888. It raised money on the London Stock Exchange to build and operate a railway from Antofagasta, a port on the Pacific Coast of northern Chile, to La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. During the 1980s Antofagasta diversified into mining and other sectors, following acquisition of control by the Luksic Group. 1888 Antofagasta (Chili) and Bolivia Railway Company limited incorporated in London 1979 Luksic Group acquires controlling interest 1996 Financial and industrial interests exchanged for 33.6% interest in Quiñenco 1997 Start construction of Los Pelambres 1999 Start of low-cost copper production at Los Pelambres 2003 Demerger of 33.6% interest in Quiñenco Acquisition of Aguas de Antofagasta 2006 Acquisition of exploration interests in Pakistan Acquisition of Equatorial Mining to consolidate control of the Centinela Mining District 2008 Sale of 30% interest in Esperanza and El Tesoro to Marubeni Start of Esperanza construction Establish Energia Andina joint venture for geothermal opportunities 2009 Esperanza project finance US$1.05 billion Los Pelambres expansion finance US$750 million Start of early stage international exploration programme 2010 Los Pelambres expansion to 175 kptd Twin Metals agreement with Duluth Metals 2011 Start of production of Esperanza Start Centinela Mining District pre-feasibility Initial approval of Antucoya project 2012 Sale of 30% of Antucoya to Marubeni Review of Antucoya project 2013 Start of construction of Antucoya Acquire interest in Alto Maipo hydro-electric project Antucoya secures US$650 million project financing 2014 Esperanza and El Tesoro combined as Minera Centinela Acquisition of Duluth Metals Limited ("TMM") 2015 Sale of Aguas de Antofagasta Aquired 50% of Zaldívar 2016 Sale of Michilla Achieved commercial production at Antucoya 2018 Encuentro Oxides project reached full capacity Los Pelambres $1.3 billion Expansion project approved to produce 60,000 tonnes per year additional copper 2019 Record safety and production performance Start construction of Los Pelambres Expansion project Zaldívar Chloride Leach and Esperanza Sur pit projects approved SITEMAP ABOUT US Our Purpose Our Strategy Business Model Our Approach Corporate Governance Leadership Team Our History OUR BUSINESS Mining Division Transport Division Growth Projects Exploration The Role of Copper SUSTAINABILITY At a Glance Sustainability Policy Responsible Supply Our People Safety and Health Communities Climate change Environment Biodiversity Sustainability Report Library INVESTORS Reports & Presentations Annual Report 2020 Annual Report Library Shareholder Information Fixed Income Investors Financial Calendar News IR Contact MEDIA News Articles COVID-19 Photo Gallery Video Library Media Contact STAY INFORMED Receive our news alerts and latest news and events. Email Alerts Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Disclaimer Accessibility Legal notice Privacy Statement Cookies notice Tu Voz - Whistleblowing Modern Slavery Statement Cookie Settings 2021 Antofagasta plc. By emperor OUR APPROACH Values and Principles Our Approach to Risk Relationships CORPORATE GOVERNANCE Framework & Structure Board Composition Board Committees Risk Management and Compliance Stakeholder Engagement Tax Strategy LEADERSHIP TEAM Board Senior Management OUR BUSINESS Mining Division MINING DIVISION Los Pelambres Centinela Antucoya Zaldívar Mining Map Transport Division Growth Projects Exploration The Role of Copper Environment Biodiversity Sustainability Report Library ANNUAL REPORT 2020 Chairman's Statement CEO Statement KPIs SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION Share Information Shareholder Services Dividend Information AGM Information Advisors & Registrars Analyst Coverage FINANCIAL CALENDAR Preliminary Results Q1 2022 Production Report AGM Q2 2022 Production Report Half Year Results Q3 2022 Production Report Q4 2022 Production Report NEWS Email Alerts IR Contact MEDIA News Articles COVID-19 Photo Gallery Video Library Media Contact CAREERS Inclusive Culture Our use of cookies We use essential cookies to make our site work. We also set analytics cookies to help us improve it. We won't set other optional cookies unless you enable them. AcceptRejectSettings