The Antamina mine in Peru resumed operations on Wednesday. The mine has been under care and maintenance for the past two months, following the Peruvian government’s countrywide lockdown to contain COVID-19.
Compania Minera Antamina, the holding company for the project—in which BHP and Glencore hold a 33.75pc stake each along with Teck Resources and Mitsubishi, which hold a 22.5pc and 10pc interest, respectively—has begun operating with a reduced workforce. It initially plans to produce 80pc of its full capacity before ramping up operations to full capacity by the end of Q3 2020.
The mine’s copper production declined by 6,600mt to 111,400mt in Q1 2020 compared to the same quarter last year, while its zinc production had fallen by 7pc to 79,000mt during the same period.
In early May, the Peruvian government had approved a four-stage resumption for mining operations.