- Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines announced it will invest $7.6 billion to expand and improve mining operations that extract zinc, lead, tin, silver, copper and gold.
- Many of the minerals found in Peru are vital for developing batteries, turbines, solar panels and other technology that will ultimately help lower global carbon emissions.
- Most of the investment will go to upgrading infrastructure and operation safety and efficiency at eight mine sites already in operation, in some cases extending their lifespans.
Peru plans to reinforce its mining sector this year with billions of dollars in investment across several ongoing projects, some of them with a history of environmental damage.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines announced it will invest $7.6 billion to expand and improve mining operations that extract zinc, lead, tin, silver, copper and gold. While many of these minerals are critical for the clean energy transition, their extraction has also contributed to pollution and land use change.
“Peru currently has exceptional conditions to continue leading the production of strategic minerals, attract new investments and consolidate its position as an indispensable player in the global energy transition,” a statement from the ministry said.
Many of the minerals found in Peru are vital for developing batteries, turbines, solar panels and other technology that will lower global carbon emission rates. In recent years, the country has been working to better leverage those resources by establishing new international agreements on energy issues and strengthening the mining sector.
The $7.6 billion will mostly go to upgrading infrastructure and operation safety and efficiency at eight mine sites, in some cases extending their lifespans by several years. These include Pampa de Pongo, Cerro Verde and Zafranal mines in the Arequipa region, the Corani mine in the Puno region and the Huarón mine in the Pasco region.
Others will expand land use and mineral processing to help increase output. While that contributes to the clean energy market, it also comes with environmental risks.
The Huancapetí mine in the district of Áncash plans to boost processing from 3,500 tons a day to 10,000 tons a day, the National Environmental Certification Service (Senace) said in a statement last July.
The mine, operated by Minera Lincuna, produces lead, silver and zinc. Senace described the project as a “powerful engine for the region’s economic reactivation.”
It has also been the target of protests by local communities upset about a lack of consultation about the mine’s activities. In 2018, a tailings spill killed the crops of around 110 families, and other contamination from the mine continues to poison farm animals, some of the protesters said.
Other residents said their land had been recently wrongfully taken from them, presumably to make room for the mine expansion.
None of the mining companies in this story responded to a request for comment.
Another mine in the investment announcement, San Rafael, operated by Minsur in the Puno region, will develop around 108 hectares (267 acres) of land to make room for quarries and other works, altering water quality from sediment input and runoff, according to a Ministry of Environment assessment. It also mentioned the “movement of soil.”
Senace and other agencies within the ministry determined that the environmental impact would be either “moderate” or “not significant or low.” But the tin mine has a history of conflict with nearby communities, including claims that the land was illegally obtained.
Another project receiving investment, the Colquijirca mine operated by Sociedad Minera El Brocal in Cerro de Pasco, will stop open-pit mining in the southern part of the site in favor of expanding underground mining, including more than 160 kilometers (about 100 miles) of underground tunnels.
The expansion is expected to keep the mine running for 13 years, according to a Senace report.
Banner image: A mine site in Peru. Image courtesy of MINEM.
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