This isn't the first time Antapaccay has suffered blockages of its access roads, a recurring protest affecting the mining sector in Peru, the world's third-largest copper producer.
Residents of Andean communities are blocking access roads to Glencore's Antapaccay copper mine in Peru in protest against a $1.8 billion expansion project, a community leader and a source close to the company said Monday.
The blockade, which prevents vehicles from entering and leaving the mine, began on Sunday in protest against the expansion plan known as "Coroccohuayco," which has not yet been completed in consultation with the communities, Flavio Huanque, leader of the localities influenced by the Antapaccay operations, told Reuters .
"It's an uprising by communities with territorial control," Huanque said in a telephone conversation from the protest zone. "What we're doing is preventing large and small mining trucks from circulating in our territory, without affecting the traffic of private vehicles."
A source close to Glencore's mine in Peru, who requested anonymity, confirmed to Reuters that the blockade has been in place since Sunday, preventing the transport of mine vehicles, although he said there is no impact on production at this time.
Glencore did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This isn't the first time Antapaccay has suffered blockages of its access roads, a recurring protest affecting the mining sector in Peru, the world's third-largest copper producer, due to fears of environmental contamination or to demand greater economic benefits from resource exploitation.
The Antapaccay mine is located in the Espinar district, in the Cusco region, southeast of the South American country.
Huanque said they were requesting the presence of the Minister of Energy and Mines, Jorge Montero, in the area to explain residents' concerns about the mine's expansion, whose environmental impact study is being conducted without prior consultation.
Glencore executives met with Minister Montero in Lima on Friday to discuss progress on the "Coroccohuayco" expansion project, the ministry said in a message sent to X, without offering details.
At the meeting, Glencore's Director of Copper Operations for South America, Abraham Chahuán, said that the project "goes hand in hand with the social issue, and to that end, social agreements are being developed with the Huano Huano, Huini Coroccohuayco, and Pacopata communities," according to the ministry's statement.
Antapaccay produced approximately 145,841 tons of copper in 2024, a 15.7% decrease compared to the previous year, at a time when local supply of the red metal has stagnated due to a lack of investment and declining ore grades at large mines, according to analysts and industry data.
