Chile Escondida evaluating plant expansion-executive

MEJILLONES, Chile, March 24 (Reuters) - Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, is evaluating an expansion of the mine's concentrator capacity that would boost mineral throughput by about 50 percent, a top executive said on Monday.

Diego Hernandez, president for base metals at the mine's majority owner BHP Billiton (BHP.AX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (BLT.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), said management would have a decision on the expansion idea by the end of 2009. He said the plant would help Escondida make up for lower ore grades in mineral.

Escondida saw its output boosted by 18.2 percent in 2007 as it ramped up a new sulphide leach plant and it had a strike-free year.

In 2007, Escondida produced 1.245 million tonnes of copper contained in concentrate and 238,357 tonnes in cathodes. (Reporting by Monica Vargas; writing by Pav Jordan; editing by Carol Bishopric)