Mexico reportedly approves Boleo mine permit extension

Mexican environment ministry Semarnat approved an extension of an environmental permit for the Boleo primary copper mine (in picture), after a community consultation.

The ministry gave the green light for operator Minera y Metalúrgica del Boleo (MMB) to mine 446ha of land in Mulegé municipality, subject to a number of conditions, daily La Jornada reported, quoting local mayor Felipe Prado Bautista.

Operations on the 446ha will not start until the conditions are met, which is expected to take 3-4 months, he was quoted as saying. Details of the conditions were not given.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) sparked fears over job losses after stating in April that the application to extend mining operations at Boleo had been rejected.

Semarnat later said no decision had been taken.

The decision to approve the permit extension follows a vote in which 89% of respondents in nearby communities expressed support for MMB, a subsidiary of state-run Korea Resources (Kores).

A string of mining environmental permits have been blocked by Semarnat since AMLO came to office late 2018.