Peruvian miner Buenaventura has announced the temporary suspension of some activities at the Tajo Norte mine in Colquijirca, Cerro de Pasco.
The company, which notified the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) of the plan on 3 October, said the closure could extend for up to three years.
It cited a delay of Colquijirca’s Modification of Environmental Impact Assessment approval for what it called a partial idling of exploitation activities.
“This delay was caused by various events, including administrative delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Peru’s related 2020 state of emergency, as well as recent 2022 regulatory changes related to the processing of environmental assessments,” Buenaventura said.
Regular mining operations will continue at the Marcapunta underground mine. However, only exploration activities, stockpiled ore rehandling at the concentrator plant, water management and care and maintenance activities will be carried out at Colquijirca’s Tajo Norte mine.
Buenaventura confirmed it is implementing a plan to increase production at the Marcapunta underground portion of the complex, ramping up its current 10,000 t/d production rate to 12,000 t/d in the coming two to three years.
Source: Buenaventura