Peru’s Las Bambas copper mine paralyzed by installations takeover

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Peruvian copper mine Las Bambas, exploited by the Chinese company MMG, will suspend all its operations from Wednesday due to a peasant protest at its facilities.

“Due to security problems, Las Bambas will not be able to continue copper production as of April 20,” said a statement from the Chinese company Minerals and Metals Group (MMG).

According to the company, the measure was taken after 130 residents of the Fuerabamba community in the Chalhuahuacho district in the Apurimac region illegally entered the mine on April 14 as part of their protests.

The villagers denounce the mining company’s failure to invest in social projects.

“The company rejects the arguments of Fuerabamba and is extremely frustrated with the actions of force carried out by the community, which has not responded to requests made by government agencies and Minera Las Bambas to review the status of compliance with social commitments transparently,” said the company.

The government called a meeting between the parties on Wednesday to solve this conflict.

Last December, the mining company paralyzed its operations for two weeks due to road blockades, which prevented the transfer of supplies and personnel.

The National Society of Mining, Petroleum, and Energy indicated that the suspension of work in December “meant an approximate loss of US$400 million”.

Las Bambas represents around 15% of Peru’s copper production. The forced stoppage will affect 8,000 workers.

According to local media, the mining company has faced repeated interruptions since it began operations in 2016, and its activities have been suspended for almost 400 days.

The deposit, located 4,000 meters above sea level, produces about 400,000 tons of copper per year.

The mine was acquired by the Chinese consortium MMG from Switzerland’s Glencore Xtrata in April 2014 for nearly US$6 billion.

Peru is one of the world’s largest silver, copper, and gold producers. Mining is one of the engines of the Peruvian economy.

With information from AFP