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First Quantum seeks to speed up Peru jobs after Panama debacle

Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals, which lost the right to run its copper mine in Panama last year following protests by ecological groups and a court judgment deeming its contract void, is seeking to speed its copper tasks in Peru, a business executive said on Wednesday.

One of the 3 biggest global copper producers, First Quantum in Peru controls the La Granja task, worth at least $2.5 billion, and the $1.86 billion Haquira project.

These are jobs that need to be sped up, stated the mining company's project development director, Steven Lewis, during a speech at a mining online forum in Lima.

La Granja, where fellow miner Rio Tinto is a minority partner, is a job with a 40-year lifespan and forecasted output of 500,000 metric loads annually, according to federal government data. First Quantum's Lewis said it has among the biggest undeveloped copper deposits on the planet.

Meanwhile, the Haquira job, fully owned by First Quantum in the Apurimac region, is in the pre-feasibility phase. It could reach a yearly output of 200,000 lots when at full capability.

We are extremely busy constructing more favorable relationships with the neighborhoods (in Haquira) to permit it to come to light, stated Lewis, who did not provide a time frame for the construction of both mines in the South American country.

The company shifted focus toward Peru after Panama's. federal government decided last year to annul Very first Quantum's agreement. to run the Cobre Panama mine there, which accounted for. about 40% of First Quantum's earnings in 2015.

We are now dealing with Panama's federal government to make sure the. ecological stability (of the project), the integrity of the. copper assets, and, most notably, the security of our. employees, Lewis stated.

Panama's outgoing government of President Laurentino Cortizo. purchased the closure of the mine, which is presently in. upkeep mode while the formal closure process starts.

The inbound administration of President-elect Jose Raul. Mulino, who is set to take workplace on July 1, will be charged with. setting standards for the process.