Minera Centinela, which is owned 30% by Marubeni Corporation (hereinafter, 'Marubeni') and 70% by Antofagasta plc (hereinafter, 'Antofagasta'), one of the world's leading copper producers, has signed a power purchase agreement on March 31st, 2020 with ENGIE Energia ChileS.A.

The terms of the agreement state that, beginning in 2022, all Minera Centinela mining operations will convert from coal fire to renewable energy.

Marubeni has already announced that mining operations at Minera Antucoya, which is 30% owned by Marubeni, will also be converting to renewable energy. This means that, from 2022 onwards, all copper mines in which Marubeni has participated will be powered by 100% renewable energy

The Centinela copper mine which Marubeni acquired 30% of the mine in 2008, is located in the northern II Region of Chile, 180km northeast of Antofagasta City and the annual copper production is around 270,000 tonnes.

Marubeni's objective in securing high quality copper assets is to meet the expected increase in demand for such assets due to use in electric vehicles and the development of an IoT society. Additionally, Marubeni will contribute to the stable supply of copper in Japan, reduce the environmental burden of copper mines, and continue to further strengthen its copper business foundation from a long-term perspective.

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