Chile copper output to top 6 million tonnes this year -SONAMI group

SANTIAGO, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Chile's copper output is seen rising to top 6 million tonnes this year, boosted by higher production at privately held mines, the influential SONAMI mining association said on Wednesday.

The world's top copper producer mined roughly 5.77 million tonnes of the metal last year, SONAMI estimated.

Recoveries at the massive Escondida mine, run by global miner BHP Billiton BHP.AX , and the Collahuasi mine, a partnership between Glencore Xstrata Plc GLEN.L and Anglo American Plc , have boosted Chile's mining industry in the past months.

(Reporting by Fabian Cambero; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

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Keywords: CHILE SONAMI/