Anglo American prepares US$850mn investment in Peru copper mine Quellaveco

London-based Anglo American is preparing investments of US$850mn in its Quellaveco copper mine in Peru’s Moquegua region.

The main objective is to increase throughput capacity from 127,500t/d to 150,000t/d and to adapt the tailings disposal system to meet the expected higher production, the company said in a report sent to environmental certifier Senace. 

The technical report, known as an ITS, is under evaluation and was prepared by consulting firm Insideo.

According to the ITS, the works will take around 30 months.

“It is necessary to add eight flow promoters to increase the feed tonnage to the mills, which is in line with the increase in processing capacity,” the report says.

According to Anglo's latest results reports, Quellaveco's copper production has been declining in recent quarters due to lower grades but is expected to recovery from this quarter. The mine produced 68,700t of copper in Q3, down from 87,500t a year earlier and 75,300t in the second quarter.

Other important modifications proposed in the ITS include optimizing the water supply system, adding a new multipurpose platform, relocating the fuel supply area and updating the environmental management plan.

According to Quellaveco, the proposed changes are within the area of direct environmental influence of the open pit mine, and do not affect any water bodies or new communities. 

The report can be downloaded from the Documents box in the top-right corner of the screen.