The Minera Antamina de Peru, controlled by Glencore and BHP will have a strong jump this year in its zinc production, which will compensate for the fall of the copper supply, which would recover in 2026 while making the expansion of the life of the deposit, an executive of the firm on Tuesday said.
Luis Santivañez, director of Operations of Antamina, told Reuters in the halls of a mining forum that zinc production will rise to About 450,000 tons this year, compared to 270,000 tons produced in 2024.
Meanwhile, copper production will fall this year to about 380,000 tons in front of the 430,000 tons of 2024, the executive said. Santivañez He added that next year the copper production will recover up to 450,000 tons, and the production of zinc “will be something” of 250.00 tons.
“The production levels in economic terms, of export value, are stable,” said “Antamina is a polymetic mine (…) The approach at this time is the transition to the expansion of the mine,” said the executive.
With an investment of US $ 2 billion, Antamina began executing its plan to expand the life of the mine at least until 2036after having exploded the site for 25 years, according to the company.
For this extension, Antamina obtained last year the approval of the modification of its environmental impact study, after almost four years of government evaluation.
Antamina’s copper production was 192,952 tons between January and July of this year, A 25.9% drop compared to the same period last yearlocated in the fourth metal producer in Peru, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
