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Significant accounting policies (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2020
Significant accounting policies [Abstract] |
Disclosure of foreign exchange rates used o translate monetary items [Text Block] | The main exchange rates and UF used to translate monetary assets and liabilities, expressed in foreign currency at the end and average of each period in respect to U.S. dollars, are as follows:
|  | Closing exchange rates |  |  | Average exchange rates |
Currencies |  | As of December 31, 2020 |  |  | As of December 31, 2019 |  |  | As of December 31, 2020 |  |  | As of December 31, 2019 |
|  | ThUS$ |  |  | ThUS$ |  |  | ThUS$ |  |  | ThUS$ |
Brazilian real |  |  | 5.18 |  |  |  | 4.02 |  |  |  | 5.14 |  |  |  | 4.11 |
New Peruvian sol |  |  | 3.62 |  |  |  | 3.31 |  |  |  | 3.60 |  |  |  | 3.35 |
Argentine peso |  |  | 84.14 |  |  |  | 59.83 |  |  |  | 82.62 |  |  |  | 59.86 |
Japanese yen |  |  | 105.56 |  |  |  | 108.90 |  |  |  | 103.81 |  |  |  | 109.12 |
Euro |  |  | 0.81 |  |  |  | 0.89 |  |  |  | 0.82 |  |  |  | 0.90 |
Mexican peso |  |  | 19.93 |  |  |  | 18.89 |  |  |  | 19.97 |  |  |  | 19.11 |
Australian dollar |  |  | 1.30 |  |  |  | 1.43 |  |  |  | 1.33 |  |  |  | 1.45 |
Pound Sterling |  |  | 0.74 |  |  |  | 0.76 |  |  |  | 0.74 |  |  |  | 0.76 |
South African rand |  |  | 14.61 |  |  |  | 14.06 |  |  |  | 14.88 |  |  |  | 14.42 |
Chilean peso |  |  | 710.95 |  |  |  | 748.74 |  |  |  | 731.92 |  |  |  | 767.22 |
Chinese yuan |  |  | 6.51 |  |  |  | 6.98 |  |  |  | 6.53 |  |  |  | 7.01 |
Indian rupee |  |  | 73.30 |  |  |  | 71.31 |  |  |  | 73.65 |  |  |  | 71.16 |
Thai Baht |  |  | 29.94 |  |  |  | 29.97 |  |  |  | 30.08 |  |  |  | 30.22 |
Turkish lira |  |  | 7.36 |  |  |  | 5.94 |  |  |  | 7.70 |  |  |  | 5.85 |
UF (*) |  |  | 40.89 |  |  |  | 37.81 |  |  |  | 39.73 |  |  |  | 36.90 |
Disclosure of useful lives of property, plant and equipment [Text Block] | The useful lives used for the depreciation and amortization of assets included in property, plant and equipment in years are presented below:
Classes of property, plant and equipment |  | Minimum life or rate (years) |  |  | Maximum life or rate (years) |  |  | life or average rate in years |
Mining assets |  |  | 3 |  |  |  | 7 |  |  |  | 6 |
Energy generating assets |  |  | 3 |  |  |  | 16 |  |  |  | 9 |
Buildings |  |  | 3 |  |  |  | 25 |  |  |  | 13 |
Supplies and accessories |  |  | 2 |  |  |  | 10 |  |  |  | 7 |
Office equipment |  |  | 5 |  |  |  | 5 |  |  |  | 5 |
Transport equipment |  |  | 5 |  |  |  | 8 |  |  |  | 6 |
Network and communication equipment |  |  | 4 |  |  |  | 10 |  |  |  | 8 |
IT equipment |  |  | 5 |  |  |  | 11 |  |  |  | 7 |
Machinery, plant and equipment |  |  | 5 |  |  |  | 25 |  |  |  | 13 |
Other property, plant and equipment |  |  | 3 |  |  |  | 15 |  |  |  | 10 |

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