The Matarani port terminal said that it made this first shipment with a total of 22 thousand wet metric tons, a major milestone for the copper company that came into production this year.

With an investment of close to US$ 1,600 million, Mina Justa marks Empresas Copec's debut in large-scale mining and was made possible thanks to a joint venture between its subsidiary Alxar and Marcobre.

For Enrique Rodríguez, Marcobre's executive in charge of construction, this achievement is the result of a bold bet that began in 2014 and kept going despite the pandemic: 'At the end of 2019 we knew we could finish the project in 2020, even with the great possibility of offering savings in the total amount approved. Then lockdowns, isolation and traffic cuts came when we had 5,500 people working,' he said. After navigating all these difficulties, Mina Justa finally came into operation in April of this year.

Erwin Kaufmann, Alxar CEO, said: 'It is exciting that, after so many years of study, construction and the difficulties of the pandemic, we are beginning to sell the first tons of copper. What began as a dream, that Alxar enter the large copper mining industry, is finally becoming a reality today, in an operation that is a luxury from every point of view. In addition to the deposit's own characteristics -high grade, good metallurgy and excellent location-, we have a great partner, Grupo Breca, and with a highly professional and dedicated team, Marcobre. We are very happy.'

The company will reach its maximum production capacity in the first quarter of 2022, reaching 150 thousand tons per year. Its operation is located 530 kilometers from Lima, in the province of Nasca, close to ports and highways, a privileged location that facilitates logistics.

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EC - Empresas Copec SA published this content on 23 July 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 26 July 2021 19:17:02 UTC.