Peru’s copper output this year likely to fall short of 3mt goal

Peru is the world’s No. 3 producer of the key industrial metal, used widely in vehicles and construction, especially for electrical wiring due to its ability to conduct current.

Gobitz, who provided the output estimate on the sidelines of an economic forum in the capital Lima, is also the top executive at Peru’s Antamina project, the country’s second-biggest producer of the red metal.

Antamina is controlled by Glencore, BHP, Teck and Mitsubishi.

Copper production during the first half of 2024 totaled 1.29 million tons, according to official data, coming in about 2% lower than during the same period in 2023.

Last year, Peru’s mines produced 2.76 million tones of copper.

The Andean country’s slide in copper output has factored into a recent economic slowdown, as the local economy only grew by about 0.2% in June after expanding by more than 5% in both April and May.

Peru’s mining and oil sectors dipped by about 7.5% in June – their poorest performance since early 2021, hurt by the scheduled two-week stoppage of the Toromocho copper mine operated by Chinalco, according to government data.

In order to maintain copper production levels, mine investments of between $2.5 billion and $3.0 billion are needed, noted Gobitz.

The executive added that at Antamina, where output this year is seen steady at around 435,000 tons, investment over the first half of 2024 totaled some $250 million. He said the year-end investment figure for the project is seen at $700 million.

Peru’s government has approved an environmental study for Antamina aimed at maintaining production from 2028 through 2036 fueled by an expected investment of $2 billion.

(By Marco Aquino; Editing by Brendan O’Boyle and Sandra Maler)