Antofagasta Minerals, Chile's largest privately-owned copper producer, announced that its production will be lower than expected this year due to the drought. The water shortage due to the lack of rain especially affects the operation of Los Pelambres, the mine operating in the Coquimbo region. The drop in production at Los Pelambres could be up to 50,000 tons of copper in 2021 due to the effects of the water shortage. The company has presented a US$1 billion business continuity plan for Los Pelambres using seawater as the main water source, which includes a desalination plant due to start operations in 2022. Anglo American's Los Bronces mine, located in the Metropolitan Region, reported a 3% drop in copper production last year, mainly due to water shortages. The Chilean mining sector's solution to this problem lies in the sea: according to projections by the Chilean Copper Commission, the proportion of seawater used in mining in 2030 will represent more than 45% of total consumption, compared to only 30% in 2020.