MEM, La Oroya officials to discuss Doe Run

Officials from Peru's mines and energy ministry (MEM) and La Oroya municipality will meet Thursday (Dec.9) to discuss US company Doe Run's ageing smelter-refinery, town mayor Clemente Quincho told BNamericas. As a result, local authorities have called off a planned march to Lima to protest the MEM's delay in approving a petition by Doe Run for more time to implement the facility's environmental cleanup plan, dubbed Pama, said Quincho. Municipal authorities would demand "immediate approval" by the MEM of Doe Run's request for an additional five years, or until 2011, to implement Pama, he added. Thousands of La Oroya residents, including 4,000 Doe Run workers, held a 48-hour stoppage on December 6 and 7 to put pressure on the MEM to approve the revised Pama. Quincho said the town and smelter-refinery, which produces mainly copper, lead, zinc and silver, had returned to normal on Wednesday. The MEM published a draft supreme decree on Tuesday to allow Pamas to be extended by three years and at the request of regional governments to four years. Fifteen days has been set to discuss the measure. Quincho said the municipality would present amendments to the supreme decree during the meeting. Doe Run has said that if the MEM does not approve the Pama extension by year-end, it will not be able to obtain the necessary financing to maintain the operation.