(Corrects project owner in second-last paragraph to American
Lithium Corp from Plateau Energy Metals)
By Marco Aquino
LIMA, April 10 (Reuters) - Peru expects to produce 2.8
million tonnes of copper this year, a senior official said on
Monday, representing an almost 15% jump from 2022, in a bright
spot for the Andean nation's top export.
Peru, the world's no. 2 copper producer, saw output affected
since December following anti-government protests and road
blockades spurred by the ouster and jailing of former President
Pedro Castillo.
The mining sector is now "working as normal," Energy and
Mines Minister Oscar Vera told reporters after providing the new
forecast. A Reuters analysis in early March showed that major
copper mines were cranking up.
The country mined some 2.44 million tonnes of copper last
year, according to ministry data.
Vera added officials are also working to reduce approval
times for mining projects, from about two years to about six
months.
"We hope to reach that goal by the end of the year," he
said.
Through this year and next, around $7 billion in mining
investments is expected, Vera said, including the expansion of
the Altamina copper mine, Teck Resources' Zafranal
project and Newmont Corp's Yanacocha Sulfuros project.
Vera added that he expects to approve lithium exploration
projects permissions "in the coming months."
"We've spoken with potential investors from Canada and as a
country we're interested in industrializing another mineral,"
said Vera, referring to lithium, the key rechargeable battery
metal.
In August, the government formed a working group to oversee
development of the ultra-light metal.
Just one lithium exploration project is currently ongoing,
in southern Puno region near the border with Bolivia.
Canada's American Lithium Corp, which operates the project,
has estimated that some 4.7 million tonnes of lithium carbonate
lie in the Falchani rock deposits.
Neighbors Chile, Argentina and Bolivia form a so-called
"lithium triangle" believed to hold major deposits of the metal
in sprawling salt flats.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by
Brendan O'Boyle, Mark Porter and Richard Chang)
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david.aliregarcia.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
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