The Cobre Panamá mine, owned by First Quantum Minerals, has been included in the ranking of the top ten mines in the world in terms of tons of extracted minerals, according to the World Energy Tradel report. It is estimated that approximately 96.24 million tons of copper, silver, gold, and molybdenum ore will be extracted from this mine during the third quarter of 2021, according to production data reported by the Vancouver-based company. The Cobre Panamá mine, operated by Minera Panamá, began operations in 2019 and contributes 3.5% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Currently, the Cobre Panamá mine is in negotiations with the National Government to obtain a new concession contract, despite opposition from some environmental and community groups to the government’s policies promoting open-pit metal mining. The ten companies listed, based on data from Miningintelligence, are large or medium-sized mining companies, with eight of them being among the top 50 mining companies worldwide. The Escondida copper mine, owned by BHP, the world’s largest mining company, ranks first on the list and is considered the largest mine in the world in its category. Río Tinto, the second-largest mining company, holds a 30% stake in the Escondida mine, which produces an average of 360,000 tons per day. Based on production figures for the first three quarters, it is estimated that Escondida will extract 130.78 million tons of copper, silver, and gold ore in 2021. The Collahuasi mine in Chile, a joint venture of Anglo American and Glencore, ranks second, with a projected extraction of 104.65 million tons of copper, gold, and silver ore this year, representing a significant increase compared to the 71.9 million tons extracted in 2020. In fourth place on the ranking is the Buenavista mine of Southern Copper in Mexico, the world’s largest silver producer, which invested around $1 billion in the expansion of its flagship copper, molybdenum, zinc, and silver mine, according to the report. The fifth position is occupied by the Las Bambas mine of MMG in Peru, with a projection of 65.26 million tons of copper, silver, gold, and molybdenum ore for 2021. According to the committee’s data, the mine has faced opposition from the community this year, with residents blocking a key transportation route, although they agreed to lift the blockade after a meeting with Prime Minister Mirtha Vásquez. The Sentinel copper and nickel mine of First Quantum Minerals in Zambia ranks sixth, having shelved its plans to sell a stake in its copper mines in Zambia, and is expected to extract 56.69 million tons of ore this year. The Aktogay mine of Kaz Minerals ranks seventh, with an extraction of 53.6 million tons of copper, silver, gold, and molybdenum ore this year. In eighth place is the Paracatu mine of Kinross Gold in Brazil, with a forecast extraction of 52.46 million tons of ore this year. The ninth place is occupied by the Antamina mine in Peru, owned by BHP and Glencore, which will extract a figure close to 52.45 million tons of copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum, and silver ore. Finally, in the tenth place is the Los Bronces mine of Anglo American in Chile, with a forecast extraction of 43.64 million tons of copper-molybdenum ore in 2021.
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