Adani's Kutch Copper signs MoU with Chile's Codelco for copper exploration: What does the deal involve?
Adani Group's Kutch Copper Ltd (KCL) has entered into an agreement with Chile's state-owned copper mining company Codelco to assess the potential of the Kaburkaala copper project in northern Chile. The partnership is aimed at securing a steady supply of copper over the long term and bolstering India's access to the strategically important metal.
According to a company statement, the proposed collaboration could connect copper deposits in Chile with Adani's integrated smelting facility in Mundra, Gujarat. The arrangement is expected to provide the group with an opportunity to establish a copper supply network with a wider international presence.
Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the two companies have outlined the framework for working together on the exploration of the Kaburkaala project. The site is located in the Calama copper belt in Chile's Antofagasta Region, an area recognised as one of the world's prominent copper-producing zones.
The MoU was formalised during LME Week 2026 in London, with Jeet Adani, Director of Kutch Copper, Vinay Prakash, CEO of Adani Natural Resources, and Bernardo Fontaine, Chairman of Codelco, present at the signing ceremony.
Commenting on the partnership, Jeet Adani emphasised the need to secure international copper supplies to meet India's growing industrial and energy demands.
"More than just a mining asset, we view this strategic partnership as a long-term investment in India's future. By securing robust access to global copper resources, we are building supply chain resilience for the critical industries driving our nation's growth," he said.
He further highlighted copper's importance across several key industries, including clean energy generation, modern manufacturing, infrastructure development and technology.
The proposed tie-up is expected to help Adani secure a sustained supply of copper, a key raw material for electrification and the worldwide shift towards cleaner energy sources.
According to the company, the collaboration will bring together Adani's financial resources, technology-driven exploration capabilities and expertise in executing large projects with Codelco's geological knowledge and global industry experience.
Codelco Chairman Bernardo Fontaine described the MoU as a significant development in the discussions between the two companies over the past year.
"This process demonstrates Codelco's ability to attract world-class partners and create value from its exploration portfolio, while safeguarding the long-term interests of the company and the State of Chile," he stated.
The agreement also aligns with Codelco's broader approach of developing exploration opportunities in collaboration with private-sector companies. Through such partnerships, the Chilean state-owned miner aims to distribute project-related risks while generating greater value from its existing exploration assets.
Both companies said their joint efforts would prioritise sustainable exploration practices, workplace safety and compliance with environmental requirements, while seeking to generate long-term benefits from the proposed project.
Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X
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