Peru's Antamina mine mulls going underground from 2036

Peru’s Antamina copper-zinc mine is analyzing switching from an open pit to an underground operation from 2036 since it found mineralized areas below the current pit.

“If the mineralization at depth responds to the company's expectations, the construction of the underground mine would begin in 2031, the operation in 2036 and full production capacity in 2039,” said Víctor Gobitz, CEO of operator Minera Antamina.

The deepest drilling carried out to date found mineralization at the 2,022m level, that is, almost 1,200m below the lowest projected level of the pit, which suggests there is continuity in the mineralization up to that level, Gobitz said in a release.

The company hopes to maintain its production rate, which is why it is also preparing changes at the infrastructure and technology level.

Antamina is the main copper and zinc producer in Peru, with a share of around 20% of red metal output and 35% of zinc in January to November last year. The mine produced 416,255t of copper in the period and 487,431t of zinc. 

Antamina, in the northern Áncash region, is owned by Glencore, BHP, Teck and Mitsubishi.