- The Tía María copper mine in Valle del Tambo, in southern Peru, could begin operations before the end of this year despite concerns from local communities that the project will pollute rivers and destroy agriculture.
- Communities in the valley have been fighting the project for over a decade, and say that it still lacks environmental impact studies and the approval of residents.
- The Tía María copper mine is expected to produce 120,000 tons of copper per year and help Peru recover from an economic crisis.
After years of delays, officials in Peru said they’re moving forward with the construction of a controversial copper mine despite concerns from local communities that the project could pollute rivers and destroy agriculture.
The Tía María copper mine in Valle del Tambo, in southern Peru, will begin operations before the end of this year, President Dina Boluarte said during a national address, reversing her promise to protect tourism, small-scale farming and agriculture exports in the area.
“The population of Valle del Tambo already has an economic activity that works and isn’t polluting and has no risk of contamination, like mining activity does, and that’s what they demand to be respected,” said Jaime Borda, executive secretary of Red Muqui, a network of activist groups supporting communities affected by mining.
The fertile Valle del Tambo, located between the Pacific coast and Andes mountains, produces rice, onion, garlic, potato, sweet potato and squash, among other vegetables. Residents say copper mining will pollute the Tambo River and other waterbodies that make small-scale agriculture possible.
In addition to losing the area’s traditional economic activity, residents could lose access to drinking water, potentially forcing them to move away, critics said. Copper mines, which require digging deep into the earth, pose a risk of leaching chemicals like sulfuric acid into the groundwater. They also kick up dust containing heavy metals.
“It could mean the disappearance of Valle del Tambo,” resident and activist Miguel Meza told Mongabay. “The valley is a producing area.”
Communities in the valley have been fighting the project for over 15 years. In that time, they say it still hasn’t met all the legal requirements to start operating. It never obtained the “social license” that comes from consulting with residents and receiving their approval to move forward with construction. Operator Southern Copper Corporation, an indirect subsidiary of Grupo México, carried out an environmental impact study, but it’s now over ten years old.
Over 96% of residents in the districts of Cocachacra, Punta de Bombón and Deán Valdivia voted against the mine in a September 2009 popular consultation. They feel that they’ve taken a clear stance on the project each time it’s been attempted, but officials aren’t listening.
In 2011, the project was suspended after a U.N. agency reviewed the plans for the mine and issued 138 recommendations to address environmental and social concerns. Communities organized marches in response to the U.N. findings, resulting in the death of three people during clashes with law enforcement.
When officials tried reviving the project again in 2015, residents declared an indefinite strike with support from several local mining unions. It led to more clashes with law enforcement that saw seven people killed and over a hundred injured.
As vice president, Boluarte promised the “definitive closure” of the mine. But her stance has changed since assuming the presidency in 2022. She inherited a political crisis and the worst economy in decades, and has looked to infrastructure and mining investment as a way forward.
Her office didn’t respond to Mongabay’s request for comment.
The Tía María copper mine is expected to generate around $1.4 billion for the country in its first twenty years, the Peruvian Economic Institute predicted back in 2019. The mine is expected to extract 120,000 tons of copper per year, and could make a noticeable difference in the country’s GDP as soon as 2025, according to Julio Velarde, president of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru.
Southern Copper Corporation didn’t respond to a request for comment for this article. But information published by the company said that the operation won’t use local freshwater sources like the Tambo River or hurt marine life by disposing of brine in the Pacific Ocean.
“Neither the mines nor the processing facilities will be in Valle del Tambo,” the company said. “The entire operation will be in the desert located north of the valley.”
Red Muqui and other activists said they’re still waiting to hear back from officials for a technical explanation of the project’s environmental and social viability. In the meantime, they’re evaluating possible legal avenues. They will likely challenge the legitimacy of the environmental impact study and the missing social license. They’re also considering more protests and marches.
“I think this is going to become a powder keg,” Meza said. “We’re all aware of what’s happening here, and we plan to be on the street and striking.”
Banner image: Valle del Tambo in Peru. Photo courtesy of MINEM.
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