• The project should be constructed in a year and a half and will have a capacity of 80 million cubic meters of water.

The CEO and director of Southern Copper Corporation, Oscar González Rocha, announced the construction of the Tambo Bajo dam for the farmers of the Tambo Valley and the population of the province of Islay in Arequipa. The aim is to unlock the Tía María project, which has been paralyzed for several years due to opposition from the local population.

“We are going to build a dam in the Arequipa region to provide farmers with enough water for agricultural development. The dam will be called Tambo Bajo and will be located in the Arequipa region to avoid problems with other regions. It will have a capacity of 80 million cubic meters of water," said González Rocha at the PERUMIN 36 Mining Convention.

According to him, construction is expected to start at the beginning of next year once it is approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. "The technical study should be completed by early December, and then we will get the authorization from the ministry. The project should be built in a year and a half," he explained.

The mining company intends to provide much-needed water to the Tambo Valley and the province of Islay in Arequipa.”

In this way, Southern Copper Corporation aims to make the Tía María copper project become viable and gain social acceptance. This project is expected to contribute approximately S/ 5.46 billion to the country in the form of fiscal redistribution (canon) and royalties over the 20 years of project operation, of which S/ 273 million per year would go to the Arequipa region and S/ 100 million to the province of Islay.

Commenting on Prime Minister Alberto Otárola’s statements that the Tía María mining project is not on the government’s agenda, he said, "They do not want to get into trouble with the few who oppose the project because before there was much more opposition, and now there is almost none.”

Regarding his meeting with the Governor of Arequipa, Rohel Sánchez, he stated that the regional government wants the mining project to go forward because it would bring significant benefits to Arequipa.

The World’s Top Copper Producer

Peru should seize the opportunity presented by its copper reserves and the global shift in energy sources to become the leading copper producer in the next five years Oscar González Rocha said this would allow our country to benefit from the trend of transitioning from fossil fuel consumption to electricity.

Southern Copper Corporation in Peru is working towards the realization of the Los Chancas, Michiquillay, and Tía María projects.