Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 8, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Glencore and Rio Tinto are discussing a merger to form the largest mining company, affecting the global copper sector. Discover the top 10 copper mines worldwide.
Jan 8 (Reuters) - Glencore said on Thursday it was in early talks to be acquired by Rio Tinto,, a combination that would create the world’s largest mining company and have major implications for the global copper sector.
Glencore had approached Rio Tinto in 2024 about combining the two big copper producers but the discussions were short-lived.
Here are the top 10 copper mines in the world:
Rank Mine Location 2024 Controlling Companies
Output
1 Escondida Chile 1,125,300 BHP Group, Rio Tinto,
tonnes Mitsubishi, JX Advanced
Metals
2 Grasberg Indonesia 816,466 PT Mineral Industri
tonnes Indonesia,
Freeport-McMoRan
3 Collahuasi Chile 466,400 Glencore , Anglo
tonnes American and Mitsui
4 Tenke Democrati 450,000 CMOC, Gecamines
Fungurume c tonnes
Republic
of the
Congo
5 Cerro Peru 447,000 Freeport-McMoRan,
Verde tonnes Buenaventura , Sumitomo
6 Kamoa-Kaku Democrati 437,061 Ivanhoe Mines, Zijin
la c tonnes Mining, Democratic
Republic Republic of the Congo,
of the Crystal River Global
Congo
7 Buenavista Mexico 432,993 Southern Copper
tonnes
8 Antamina Peru 426,900 Glencore, BHP Group ,
tonnes Teck Resources,
Mitsubishi
9 Morenci USA 362,000 Freeport-McMoRan,
tonnes Sumitomo
10 El Chile 356,400 Codelco
Teniente tonnes
(SOURCES: COMPANY WEBSITES, FILINGS, ANNUAL REPORTS)
(Reporting by Anushree Mukherjee, Sumit Saha, Vallari Srivastava and Tanay Dhumal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Tasim Zahid)
A merger is a business strategy where two companies combine to form a single entity, often to enhance competitiveness and efficiency.
Copper mining involves extracting copper ore from the earth, which is then processed to produce copper metal for various applications.
Output in mining refers to the total quantity of minerals or metals produced by a mining operation over a specific period.
A controlling company is an entity that owns a majority stake in another company, allowing it to influence or control its operations.
Copper is a vital metal used in electrical wiring, plumbing, and various industrial applications, making it essential for economic development.
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