Operations at Southern Copper's Cuajone mine in Peru have been suspended for 15 days as locals continue to block the company's access to reservoirs and other critical supplies, the country's mining and energy industry body revealed.
El bloqueig va començar el 28 de febrer, quan Southern Copper va decidir substituir una canonada d'aigua de 50-anys d'antiguitat que subministrava aigua a les comunitats properes.
Segons Raul Jacob, conseller delegat de Southern Copper i actual president de l'Associació Peruana de Mines, Petroli i Energia (SNMPE), la concessió de la mina s'està substituint.
Jacob va dir als mitjans locals que té documents que demostren que el moviment es va portar als líders de la comunitat i a les autoritats regionals i nacionals.
"We were taken aback by the blockade," Jacob said.
Els treballadors de la mina de Cuajone, que dóna feina a més de 5,000 persones, han demanat al govern que intervingui en el conflicte entre l'empresa i els locals, argumentant que la seva feina i la seva vida estan en perill.
"The residents' refusal to restore water supply to Cuajone and release the railway has prevented us from resuming operations at the mine," Southern Copper said in an emailed statement.
SNMPE said the protesters were demanding 5bn in compensation and a 5 per cent share of the company's profits.
Pablo O'Brien, a mining expert at Velocity Trade Capital, said it was more than that, describing the situation as "very serious".
"No one can just turn off the water supply to a group of people for whatever reason. This situation unfortunately demonstrates the current inability of states to mediate in resolving conflicts, "O 'Brien said.
Peru is the world's second-largest copper producer after neighboring Chile, and mining is a major source of tax revenue. Residents of nearby communities have increasingly protested against the mines, claiming they cause pollution without contributing enough to the local economy.
Southern Copper, que forma part del Grupo Mexico, és una de les empreses de coure amb majors reserves minerals, i Cuajone és la segona mina més gran del Perú.
The miner's copper production fell 4.3 per cent in 2021 and recently said it expected a further decline this year.
El 2022, Southern Copper preveu produir 922,000 tones de metall utilitzat en la construcció i els cotxes elèctrics.
"After this year, we believe our 2023 production will rebound to 1 million tonnes of copper," it said in its February earnings statement. By the end of the decade, as our organic growth projects mature, we expect copper production to reach 1.8 million tonnes.
China Southern està desenvolupant projectes per valor de 2.800 milions al Perú. Si s'inclouen els projectes naixents de Michiquillay i Los Chancas, la xifra salta a gairebé 8.000 milions.
Protests have hit several of Peru's biggest mining companies since leftist President Pedro Castillo took office in July after winning an election with overwhelming support in the country's impoverished mining regions.
Roads used by MMG's Las Bambas copper mine to transport its metal have been intermittently blocked by residents demanding financial contributions from the company.
Last year protests also disrupted Antamina, the country's largest copper mine, which is jointly owned by BHP billiton (33.75 percent), Glencore (33.75 percent), Teck Resources (22.75 percent) and Mitsubishi (10 percent).
Les mines de Glencore (LON: GLEN), Hudbady Minerals TSX, NYSE: HBM) i Hochschild Mining també es van veure afectades.
Social unrest in the country's mining areas has deepened global fears of a looming copper shortage.
Segons les estimacions del Grup CRU, la indústria del coure ha de gastar més de 100.000 milions per fer front a un dèficit de 4,7 milions de tones l'any l'any 2030.
