Southern Copper on lookout in Chile

SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - Southern Copper Corp. (SPC.LM: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)(PCU.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), one of the world's biggest copper producers, said on Wednesday it would be interested in acquisitions in Chile, the world's largest producer of the red metal.

Eduardo Gonzalez, chief financial officer of Southern Copper (SCC), said the company would take a serious look if any significant assets came up for sale in Chile, already a magnet for copper mining investment.

Southern Copper, controlled by Mexico City-based Grupo Mexico (GMEXICOB.MX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and which mines copper as a principal metal in Mexico and Peru, has seen its revenue soar on record high copper prices.

"We've been looking into Chile for some time now, but we have not yet found the best way to enter in any significant scale," he told the Reuters Latin America Investment Summit.

"Clearly, if any of these assets come up for sale we will seriously look at them," he said referring to potential Chilean properties.

Chile is home to the world's largest copper miner, state-owned Codelco, and other global mining giants like Minera Escondida, the world's largest open-pit copper mine, majority-owned by BHP Billiton (BLT.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Copper prices are soaring near record highs on global markets and demand remains strong.