The solar - thermal energy plant that replaced the two heaters previously used in Minera El Tesoro (at present Minera Centinela Oxide Line) to raise the temperature of the water required by electrolytes (high-purity copper solution) and cathode flushing at the electro-winning plant, started operating in November 2012. Said plant raises the temperature of water and electro-winning (SX – EW) solutions by exchanging heat with each other, thus supplying the business core with renewable energy, and also reducing CO2 emissions from the oxide line of Centinela by 8,000 tons per year, which accounts for 4% of the total emissions from the line of oxide of Centinela. 

The plant operation raises water temperature between 80 and 85 Celsius degrees, in order to transfer heat to copper solution and raise it to 5 degrees, a thermal requirement equivalent to a consumption of nearly 3,700 cubic meters of diesel per year in the heat circuit. 

The solar plant replaces 55% of the diesel used by the heaters that are part of the copper production of the company.