Rio Tinto’s Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia faces a delay due to the movement of goods and persons now being restricted within Mongolia, and across its borders, due to COVID-19.
In a collaborative effort between the miner and the Mongolian government to ensure safe operations at the project, authorities have put certain restrictions in place to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, slowing down construction activity.
Operations on the project, which is underground, however, continue and the full impact of the new restrictions is still not known.
Oyu Tolgoi, in the south Gobi region of Mongolia, contains one of the largest known copper and gold deposits in the world.
When construction is complete, the mine will be the world’s third largest copper mine.
Chile currently has the world’s largest copper mine.