According to Webstock Inc., citing foreign media on February 11, Canadian company First Quantum Minerals stated on Tuesday that the final hearing for the Cobre Panama mine under the International Chamber of Commerce arbitration process has been postponed from September this year to February 2026.
The mine, one of the world's largest copper resources, was shut down in November 2023, just hours after Panama's Supreme Court declared its contract unconstitutional. The decision to close the mine was also driven by environmental protests.
The Canadian mining company stated that the Panamanian government had filed a request with the arbitration panel to extend the submission deadline, citing the need for the new administration to assess the situation regarding the mine after replacing external legal counsel.
Last year, media reports indicated that the Canadian mining company had disclosed a voluntary retirement plan to the mine's workers while awaiting the government's decision to restart operations.
