SANTIAGO, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Chile's state-run copper

miner, Codelco, will start using explosives with a significantly

lower carbon footprint at its Radomiro Tomic mine, the company

announced on Thursday.

Explosives are used in mines to break up rocks to more

easily process them and extract valuable metals.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Codelco is the world's largest copper producer and its

decision to use alternative explosives underscores the

increasing pressure on mining companies to enhance their

environmental standards and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The pressure is especially high for copper mining which has

traditionally been more carbon-intensive.

BY THE NUMBERS

The new explosives are expected to cause a significant

reduction in the "Scope 3," or indirect, emissions, at the

Radomiro Tomic mine, which accounts for about 40% of Codelco's

explosive consumption.

The company has said it aims to achieve carbon neutrality by

2050.

KEY QUOTES

"Using an innovative product in the explosives market will

contribute to fulfilling our commitments to sustainable

development," Chairman Maximo Pacheco said in a statement.

"Its production involves 40% fewer greenhouse gas emissions

compared to grey ammonium," the statement added.

CONTEXT

The move to implement lower carbon explosives with the help

from manufacturer Enaex is part of the miner's broader strategy

to enhance production and achieve its annual targets, amid

falling output of the key industrial metal to a 25-year low.

Radomiro Tomic would be the first mining operation to use

Prillex ECO2, an explosive whose main component is blue ammonium

nitrate that is produced using advanced carbon capture and

storage technologies, which significantly reduces CO2 emissions

during the manufacturing process.

(Report by Fabian Andres Cambero, Writing by Aida

Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Sandra

Maler)