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Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra announced Saturday (November 2nd) that the controversial Tia Maria copper mine project will not be realized " until social conditions are met ".
Since its launch in 2011, the Tia Maria copper project , run by the Mexican company SPCC, has angered farmers and residents of the Arequipa region in the South. They fear that this future open-pit copper mine will pollute their reserves.
" As long as the social conditions are not met, the implementation of the project can not be done, " reacted Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra, while ensuring that he saw the day, this project would not pollute land or water irrigation. The Head of State added that the way out of the crisis must be " through dialogue ". Because this week the Peruvian Mines Council authorized the resumption of the project, resulting in demonstrations and road blockages. Six protesters have died since 2011, and hundreds of people have been injured.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the estimated production of Tia Maria is 120,000 tonnes of copper annually. The company says it wants to invest a total of $ 1.4 billion and sparkles more than 9,000 jobs. But the political risk remains important for the Peruvian government.