Glencore to Aggressively Expand Copper Capacity

Published: Jun 2, 2023 16:59

Save

According to foreign news on May 31, a senior executive of the mining giant Glencore said that the company plans to invest $1.5 billion to expand its Antapaccay copper mine in Peru, higher than the previously announced $590 million.

Antapaccay Mining Company managing director Carlos Cotera said it was advancing the Coroccohuayco project, which aims to extend the life of the mine by decades. Production has stalled in recent years due to declining ore grades.

“The Coroccohuayco project implies an extension of the life of the mine to at least 2045 or 2050, which is our forecast,” Cotera said on the sidelines of a mining forum in Lima late on Monday. "We estimate that the investment will exceed $1.5 billion."

The electric vehicle revolution has sharply boosted global copper demand forecasts for the next few years, with many analysts predicting a supply deficit after production and investment in key regions slowed. Peru is the second largest copper producer in the world, and its neighbor Chile is the largest copper producer.

Annual production at Antapaccay, one of Peru's largest copper mines, has fallen steadily from 221,000 tonnes in 2016 to around 150,000 tonnes currently, making the expansion project important, Cotera said.

“We believe that for at least the first 10 years of operation of Coroccohuayco, copper production will be around 250,000 tonnes per annum,” Cotera said.

The project had previously been delayed due to instability in the region where the copper mine is located. In September 2022, residents opposed to the expansion project blocked part of the mining corridor in the Andes for several days.

Antapaccay said at the time the plan was "under review". The corridor was also blocked amid unrest following the ouster of former President Pedro Castillo.

Cotera said the company is currently reviewing a "pre-feasibility study" for Coroccohuayco, which is expected to be approved in the second half of 2024, followed by a full feasibility study.

More popular news:

Commodity Price Bubble Finally Burst, but Metals Demand Will Surge

SMM Daily Comments (Jun 1): Base Metals Mostly Rose with SHFE Aluminium Surging, Ferrous Metals Rose across the board, Iron Ore Skyrocketed

SMM Daily Comments (Jun 2): All Metals Closed Higher with SHFE Nickel Leading Gains, Coke Surged

SMM Indonesia Nickel and Cobalt Industry Chain Conference: Global Nickel & Cobalt Supply and Demand Prospect, Impact from NEV Development

Commerzbank Lowers Price Forecast for Copper, Aluminium, Zinc and Nickel for 2023 and 2024

Market forecast

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

20 hours ago

Yingkou Jianfa Shenghai Phase I 300,000 mt Copper Cathode Project Smelting Furnace Starts Production, Pyrometallurgy System Enters Furnace Drying Stage

At 9:58 on September 12, the core smelting furnace of the pyrometallurgy system at Yingkou Jianfa Shenghai Nonferrous Metals & Chemicals Co., Ltd.'s multi-metal recovery project was successfully ignited, officially entering the furnace drying stage and marking a key step toward full-line commissioning and production. Public information shows that the Yingkou Jianfa Shenghai polymetallic complex gold-silver ore comprehensive recovery technology upgrade, relocation, and expansion project uses copper concentrates as its main raw material, with an overall planned capacity of 600,000 mt/year of copper cathode to be built in two phases, with capacity of 300,000 mt/year in each phase. Phase I is designed to produce 300,000 mt/year of copper cathode and 1.18 million mt/year of sulphuric acid, along with supporting systems for smelting, converting, anode refining, electrolysis, slag beneficiation, and precious metal recovery. After this ignition, the project will carry out standardized furnace drying and hot-state integrated trial runs across the entire system to verify equipment, instruments, interlocks, and automatic control systems. The project has not yet formally started raw material feeding and production; after furnace drying and system commissioning are completed, it will further advance the commissioning of Phase I's 300,000 mt/year copper cathode capacity. If the project is successfully brought into production, it is expected to increase copper smelting capacity in North China and further boost domestic demand for copper concentrate raw materials.

20 hours ago

Sep 12, 2026 01:13

Alchemy Resources Starts Drilling Copper-Gold Targets at Yellow Mountain

Alchemy Resources announced on September 11 that reverse-circulation drilling has commenced across its Yellow Mountain and Overflow projects in New South Wales, Australia, with up to 15 holes planned during the latest exploration campaign. At the 80%-owned Yellow Mountain project, drilling will test extensions to previously identified copper-gold and polymetallic mineralisation, as well as two previously undrilled geophysical targets. Previous drilling at Yellow Mountain returned an intersection of 113 metres grading 1.17% copper equivalent, comprising 0.33% copper, 0.37 g/t gold, 24.3 g/t silver, 0.86% lead and 1.23% zinc. The latest drilling campaign is designed to test whether the known mineralised system extends into newly identified target areas. The program will also include drilling at the Overflow project, where Alchemy is targeting extensions to existing mineralisation along strike and at depth. Overflow currently hosts an inferred mineral resource of approximately 342,000 ounces of gold equivalent and contains gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc mineralisation. The commencement of drilling provides a near-term test of the scale and continuity of mineralisation at Yellow Mountain. The previously reported broad copper-gold-polymetallic intersection indicates potential for a sizeable mineralised system, while the newly defined geophysical targets provide additional exploration upside. Drilling results will be important in determining whether the mineralised footprint can be materially expanded.

Sep 12, 2026 01:13

Sep 12, 2026 01:10

Freeport CEO Signals Likely Go-Ahead for $4.5 Billion Bagdad Copper Expansion

Freeport-McMoRan Chief Executive Officer Kathleen Quirk has indicated that the company expects to move forward with the proposed expansion of its Bagdad copper mine in Arizona, marking a stronger commitment to the project ahead of a formal investment decision. Speaking at the Jefferies Global Industrials Conference on September 10, Quirk said the project still requires input from Freeport's board but that she expects the company will proceed. She described the expansion as a roughly three-year construction project and noted that no major permitting hurdles are expected. Freeport's latest project estimates put capital expenditure for the Bagdad expansion at approximately US$4.5 billion, around 30% above the previous US$3.5 billion estimate, reflecting cost escalation, scope changes and additional engineering. The project would more than double concentrator capacity at Bagdad and is expected to add approximately 200–250 million lb, or around 91,000–113,000 tonnes, of copper production annually, alongside an additional 10–12 million lb of molybdenum. Bagdad currently has a reserve life exceeding 80 years. Freeport's Q2 2026 regulatory filing had described the project as being prepared for a potential investment decision during the second half of 2026. The latest comments therefore represent a more positive signal from management on the likelihood of development, although formal board approval has not yet been announced. A decision to proceed with Bagdad would represent one of Freeport's most significant near-term copper growth investments in the US. The potential addition of more than 90,000 tonnes per year of copper would materially increase Freeport's US output, although first production would remain several years away given the expected construction period. Attention will now turn to formal board approval and a final investment decision.

Sep 12, 2026 01:10