Cerrejón is the world's largest export open pit coal mining operation and it is located in La Guajira state, in the north-eastern part of Colombia.
This area of these coal deposits is 69,000 hectares, in which five areas are contracted:
North Zone, Patilla, Oreganal and South Zone with the Colombian State and Central Zone with Comunidad de El Cerrejón.
Open pit mining is an operation that starts with the cleaning of the surface and the careful removal of the topsoil layer, which is stored for future rehabilitation of the land used. Then drilling and blasting are carried out, followed by the removal of overburden material, until the coal seams are exposed.
Coal is loaded and transported in trucks from the mine to the stock piles and crushers, and then is taken to two silos that load the train.
The equipment and machinery used at the mine are among the largest and most modern. There are also shops on site for carrying out maintenance of trucks, tractors and scrapers. Other facilities include reconstruction shops, administrative offices and telecommunications systems between the mine, the railway, the port and Bogotá.
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