Antofagasta copper output hit by ongoing protests at Los Pelambres

9th Mar 2015 07:14

Ongoing protests at Antofagasta's Los Pelambres copper project in Chile have taken their toll on production, the company said on Monday, after negotiations about drought conditions with locals stalled.The miner said a "small group of protestors" from the local Choapa valley community have established intermittent blockades at several points on the access road to Los Pelambres since 28 February, and have caused damage to the office and equipment at the mine entrance.Antofagasta said that while the actions had a "limited" impact as some supplies, employees and contractors could travel by air, and an alternative dam was used for tailings disposal, copper production has so far been reduced by 5,000 tonnes."Looking forwards, the impact will depend on when access is fully restored," the miner said.According to Antofagasta, locals are seeking action by Pelambres and the local government to help alleviate the current drought conditions amid ongoing discussions about water availability."On 5 March the government intervened with the purpose of restoring normal road and mine access and arranged a meeting of all parties to negotiate a resolution to the current situation. However, normal access to the mine has not been fully restored and, on 7 March, negotiations stalled," the company said."Government authorities are now making efforts to resume talks as soon as possible."