Peruvian copper producer Southern Copper, controlled by Grupo Mexico, plans to restart the development of its long-postponed Tia Maria project in Peru on Monday, according to an internal document seen by Reuters.
The Tia Maria mine, located in the Islay province of Peru’s Arequipa region, has been on hold for years due to community opposition over fears of the mine’s environmental impact. Protests against the mine left six people dead between 2011 and 2015.
An internal memorandum issued by Grupo Mexico and Southern Copper on Friday and reviewed by Reuters notified employees about the start of work on Monday. A source with knowledge of the plans confirmed the authenticity of the document.
In May, Southern Copper’s vice president of finance, Raul Jacob, had told Reuters that the $1.4 billion Tia Maria mine was slated to break ground by the end of this year or in the first half of 2025. He said the necessary social conditions had improved, allowing the development to proceed.
The mine is eventually expected to produce 120,000 tons of copper annually. This development comes as Peru struggles to accelerate its copper production, after the Democratic Republic of Congo displaced it as the world’s second-largest copper producer in 2023.