LIMA, Jan 17 (Reuters) – Glencore Plc’s (GLEN.L) huge Antapaccay copper mine in Peru is operating at “restricted” capacity due to anti-government protests that saw an attack on the facility last week, a company source told Reuters on Tuesday.
Peru, the world’s No. 2 copper producer, is currently in the throes of its worst civil unrest in over 20 years, posing a risk to mining activity and copper transport that has buoyed global prices of the metal on supply worries and hit some company share prices.
“The mine has not yet suspended operations, which overall continue in a restricted manner,” the company source said, asking not to be named. Road blockades by protesters were preventing trucks from moving its copper, the source said.
“Due to the road blockades, no type of transport activity is being carried out, this includes the transport of concentrate for export.”
Antapaccay, located in the province of Espinar in the Cusco region, is one of Peru’s largest mines. It produced 135,987 tonnes of copper between January and November last year, company data shows.
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