Chile Escondida copper mine 2007 output up 18 pct

SANTIAGO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Chile's Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, boosted output in 2007 by 18.2 percent as it ramped up a new sulphide leach plant and it had a strike-free year.

Escondida, majority-owned by global diversified miner BHP Billiton (BLT.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)(BHP.AX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), said on Tuesday it produced 1.483 million tonnes of the red metal last year.

That's more than 200,000 tonnes above 2006 production and not far off the 1.7 million tonnes that Chile's state-owned Codelco, the world's largest copper miner, produces from all its divisions combined.

The rise in 2007 production is explained by a lower base of comparison in 2006, when the mine suffered a month-long labor strike over wages and produced 1.255 million tonnes of copper.

In 2007, Escondida produced 1.245 million tonnes of copper contained in concentrate and 238,357 tonnes in cathodes. (Reporting by Pav Jordan; Editing by Braden Reddall)