The blockade signaled a new conflict just two weeks after the mining firm resumed operations.

The new conflict comes just two weeks after the mining firm resumed operations following another protest that forced Las Bambas to shut down for more than 50 days.

The Grota do Cirilo project in Minas Gerais state is on track to begin producing early next year.

The dam elimination program has already cost the company $857 million of the $4 billion it projects to spend by 2035.

A judge scheduled a conciliation hearing between the company and its creditors on Tuesday as the parties offered competing debt restructuring plans.

As major economies march towards a net-zero future, there is a growing endeavour to produce metals with little-to-no carbon footprint.  

Workers at Chile’s state-owned Codelco will start a nationwide strike on Wednesday to protest the government’s and the company’s decision to close a troubled smelter.