Peru’s copper production should reach 3 million metric tons this year after hitting 2.76 million tons in 2023, energy and mining minister Romulo Mucho said in a press conference on Friday.
Mucho added that the government was working with Chinese miner MMG to reach agreements with local communities who oppose the Chalcobamba project at the Las Bambas mine, an expansion he said could help Las Bambas eventually boost output to some 400,000 tons of copper annually.
MMG had earlier this year predicted that Las Bambas would produce between 280,000 and 320,000 tons of copper in 2024.
Workers at Las Bambas, one of the largest copper mines in Peru, went on strike late last year demanding better profit sharing and transport conditions, while nearby indigenous communities have previously blocked access roads to call for more benefits from the mine.
Peru is the world’s No. 2 copper producer.
(By Marco Aquino and Sarah Morland; Editing by Kylie Madry)
