After a gap of two years, the Arizona-based mining company Southern Copper may be able to restart work at the controversial TÃa MarÃa copper project near Arequipa, Peru, in January of 2014. This would allow the firm to kick-off the operation and start the production by March, the site Mining reports.
The $1 billion project was halted in 2011 after massive protests and conflicts between residents and authorities, which led to the death of three people. However, Southern Copper is now expected to file its latest environmental impact assessment (EIA) to Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines, which will then have up to 10 days to review it.
After that, the company will have to send copies of the study to the regional government of Arequipa (GRA), the provincial municipality of Islay and the Cocachacra district. These three local authorities will make the report available to the general public.
If the TÃa MarÃa project gets approved by the local community and other stakeholders, Southern Copper could begin production about a year ahead of schedule, despite all the problems.
The company has been doing a good job in order to reach a compromise with locals, a key factor to be granted a social license to operate. If everything goes according to the plan from now on, TÃa MarÃa is expected to generate 120,000 tons of copper a year.