RWE AG, which owns six facilities using the dirtiest fossil fuel, has obligations to workers and municipal shareholders that will prevent quicker efforts to close coal capacity.
Thousands of Turks, including opposition lawmakers, have been protesting against the mine, saying the company would use cyanide to extract gold, contaminating the soil and waters of a nearby dam.
The southern African nation sees the mining sector as the main driver for reviving an economy crippled by triple-digit inflation and high unemployment.
The continuous protest actions have led Minera Las Bambas to announce that probably “within a week” it will have to halt production at its namesake copper mine.