Pilares – Sonora: Located six kilometers from La Caridad, this is actually an open-pit mine operation with an annual production capacity of 35,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate. This will significantly improve the overall mineral ore grade (considering the 0.78% expected from Pilares with 0.29% from La Caridad).
Project update: The budget for Pilares is $176 million, of which $145 million has been invested. Pilares is fully integrated in our operations and is delivering copper ore to the La Caridad concentrator according to plans. Consequently, this will be the last time that we report on Pilares as a project.
Peruvian Projects
Tia Maria - Arequipa: This greenfield project, located in Arequipa, Peru, will use state of the art SX-EW technology with the highest international environmental standards to produce 120,000 tons of SX- EW copper cathodes per year. The estimated capital budget for the project is $1.4 billion.
Southern Copper has been consistently working to promote the welfare of the population of the Islay province. As part of these efforts, we have implemented successful social programs in education, healthcare and productive development to improve the quality of life in the region. We have also promoted agricultural and livestock activities in the Tambo Valley and supported growth in manufacturing, fishing and tourism in Islay.
We reiterate our view that the initiation of construction activities at Tia Maria will generate significant economic opportunities for the Islay province and the Arequipa region. Given the current Peruvian economic situation, it is crucial to move ahead on projects that will stimulate a sustainable growth cycle. We expect to begin the construction phase of the project in the near future. We will make it a priority to hire local labor to fill the 9,000 jobs that we expect to generate during Tia Maria’s construction. Additionally, from day one of our operations, we will generate significant contributions to revenues in the Arequipa region.
Los Chancas - Apurimac: This greenfield project, located in Apurimac, Peru, is a copper and molybdenum porphyry deposit. Current estimates of indicated copper mineral resources are 98 million tons of oxides with a copper content of 0.45% and 52 million tons of sulfides with a copper content of 0.59%. The Los Chancas project envisions an open-pit mine with a combined operation of concentrator and SX-EW processes to produce 130,000 tons of copper and 7,500 tons of molybdenum annually. The estimated capital investment is $2,600 million and the project is expected to begin operating in 2030. We continue to engage in social and environmental improvements for the local communities and work on the project’s environmental impact assessment.
Project update: In a coordinated effort with the Peruvian authorities the Company has made significant progress in eradicating illegal mining activities at our concession. Once this process is completed, we will restart environmental impact assessment; conduct a diamond drilling campaign for 40,000 meters; and initiate hydrogeological and geotechnical studies to gather additional information on the characteristics of the Los Chancas deposit.
Michiquillay Project – Cajamarca: In June 2018, Southern Copper signed a contract for the acquisition of the Michiquillay project in Cajamarca, Peru. Michiquillay is a world class mining project with inferred mineral resources of 2,288 million tons with an estimated copper grade of 0.43%. When developed, we expect Michiquillay to produce 225,000 tons of copper per year (along with by-products of molybdenum, gold and silver) for an initial mine life of more than 25 years and at a competitive cash-cost. We estimate an investment of approximately $2.5 billion will be required and expect production start-up by 2032. Michiquillay will become one of Peru´s largest copper mines and will create significant business opportunities in the Cajamarca region; generate new jobs for the local communities; and contribute with taxes and royalties to the local, regional and national governments.
Project update: As of December 31, 2023, we had drilled 63,000 meters (total program = 110,000 meters) and obtained 20,137 core samples for chemical analysis. Geological modeling, cross section interpretation, and drilling logging are currently underway. For 2024, the Company expects to complete the diamond drilling program; geological modeling; and resource evaluation. We will also begin hydrogeological and geotechnical studies and assess the results of metallurgical testing at the deposit.
The Company continues working with the Michiquillay and La Encañada communities following the guidelines of the social agreements signed with them.