Peru: controversial copper project moves ahead

[Judi Lynn]

Peru: controversial copper project moves ahead
Submitted by WW4 Report on Sun, 12/29/2013 - 20:25

Arizona-based Southern Copper is set to restart work at its controversial $1 billion Tía María copper project in Arequipa, Peru, within the next 90 days, Mines and Energy Minister, Jorge Merino said following a public meeting with local residents Dec. 19. Merino told Andina news agency that receiving support from the local community is “a big step forward," adding that it shows how "dialogue and coordinated efforts from national, regional and local authorities can make mega-projects happen." Peru's government sees the Tia Maria project as critical to boosting investment in the mineral sector. "It will show we have made inroads to resolve conflicts that have delayed several mining projects in Peru over concerns by communities about their environmental impact," Merino said.

An account of Merino's statement on the industry website Mining.com stated: "Although the production capacity of most countries has flat-lined in recent years, Latin America's clout in the copper industry has risen exponentially. Peru alone is expected to attract $15bn worth of copper mining projects between now and 2015." Merino hopes to increase Peru's overall copper production from 1.5 million metric tons to 2.8 million by the end of 2015.

Southern Copper, the largest entity in mineral giant Grupo Mexico, has the highest copper reserves of any publicly traded mining company worldwide and one of the best cash cost in the industry. Tía María is expected to generate 120,000 tons of copper a year. Mining.com reported Nov. 4 that Southern Copper had submitted a new environmental impact assessment (EIA) to the Energy and Mines Ministry. The project had been slated to move ahead in 2011, but was halted after clashes with local anti-mine protrsters and police at the nearby town of Islay that left three dead.

The anti-mine group CooperAcción responded to Merino's optimistic statement by pointing out that the Dec. 19 community meeting was held under the eye of 2,000 National Police troops—actually outnumbering the audience. The days before the meeting saw new protests in Islay, with two demonstrators hurt in clashes with police, and others starting a hunger strike to oppose the project.

In response to Southern Copper's pledge to spare no expense on mitigating environmental impacts, CooperAcción recalled that the 2011 protests were sparked after the company rejected as too expensive a proposal to build a desalinization plant to treat sewater for use in the mine, instead planning to use water from the local aquifer of the Valle del Tambo. CooperAcción asserts: "The case of Tía María demonstrates the collapse of our system of environmental certification."

http://ww4report.com/node/12878

(Short article, no more at link.)

[FrodosPet]

1. Copper: Can't live with it, can't live without it

Moving away from petroleum energy to solar and wind is going to require a LOT of mining.

We cannot keep going the way we are, and the copper is not nice enough to all be concentrated in spots without ecological or cultural concerns.

We have to accept that there are going to be a lot of dirty nasty holes in the ground.

[Judi Lynn]

2. I have to wonder about the first person who said "I need some copper,

I think you'd better go dig a huge hole and get it, and give it to me, and knock yourself out."

That really takes brass ones.

Even worse, "I think I want you to dig in the earth directly beneath your house, actually, so tear your house down, first."

That happens in Latin America. They run people off the land upon which they and their ancestors have lived for centuries, violently, if they refuse to move, and then they sell the local authorities on how wonderful it is for everyone concerned by bribing the authorities into ceding everyone's land to them, and calling out the soldiers to protect it, then claiming the new project will make lots of nice "jobs" for the citizens who used to live there.

The only people who seem to love that scheme are the ones who never are hurt by it, don't lose their lives for it, and don't get sold into virtual slavery to keep themselves alive after their homes were stolen. That's always the right-wingers, the moral perverts of this world.