Minem: closure of four mines is in regular process

After the president of the Council of Ministers, Mirtha Vasquez, will announce that compliance with the closure plans of four mining projects belonging to the companies Apumayo, Sami and Compañía Minera Ares, with the Inmaculada and Pallancata units, located in the south of Ayacucho, the Ministry of Energy and Mines ( Minem) clarified that this has been taking place within the framework of the regular process established by regulations.

In this regard, the former Deputy Minister of Environmental Management José de Echave pointed out that what was announced by the premier is not irregular, since only the schedule of the Mine Closure Plan is being met that the companies themselves established from the beginning of operations and that were approved by ministerial resolutions.

“Announce that the four units have an approved schedule and, therefore, it has to be complied with, I do not see how the current regulations affect,” he commented and explained that the Mine Closure Plan is part of the process of a mining operation, For this reason, it is the companies that establish this schedule (see infographic).

And indeed, in dialogue with La Republic, Prime Minister Mirtha Vásquez confirmed that only the regulations are being complied with. “These companies establish their closure plan with dates established in resolutions. This does not have to be consulted, it is established in resolutions of the Minem and the Minam ”, he specified.

Can be extended

Although there are already established schedules, companies have the possibility of extending the useful life of a mining operation.

Iván Lanegra, former Deputy Minister of Interculturality, pointed out that To request expansion of the mining operation, a modification of the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) must be submitted, which must be analyzed by Senace, and if approved, the schedule of the closure plan could be changed.

“It is asked first that the EIA be modified, and if that modification is approved, there it does go and ask for a change in the closure plan, that is the order, “he said.

For his part, De Echave recalled that for several years there has been a social conflict in these mining areas due to the impact of mining operations on the headwaters of the basins, so if one of these companies wishes to continue its operations, the concerns that exist in the population. “It is not because they present the EIA or that they present a modification of the EIA and automatically they have the authorization, no, that document has to be evaluated and it has to be either approved or disapproved,” he emphasized.

And indeed, the Vice Minister of Mines, Jorge Chávez said that if Mining companies in the process of closing want to continue operating, they can still request an extension before the corresponding entities. “If they show us that they are about to present, or have presented, for this to be extended, of course, within the framework of the law we are going to comply,” he noted.

Companies and workers against

From Hochschild, a subsidiary of Ares (Inmaculada and Pallancata), extended “a call to the prime minister to clarify the real scope of the act signed in Cora Cora and, furthermore, to reconsider the illegal position adopted.” From Apumayo, it was demanded that “legal guarantees be provided to establish an objective dialogue table” that results in peaceful solutions, translated into an expansion of its operations.

For its part, the Single Union of Workers of the Inmaculada Mining Unit and the Federation of Workers of Compañía Minera Ares SAC, which represents more than 5,300 workers, expressed their concern and indicated that the closure will impact thousands of families and hundreds of suppliers to the communities.

OEFA detects non-compliance of mining companies

The OEFA reported that to date it carried out 82 supervision actions to the four mining companies that operate in the south of Ayacucho, of which many ended in sanctions and fines of more than half a million soles were imposed (119.93 OFF).

Likewise, alleged breaches of the obligations contained in the mine closure plans by Pallancata and Inmaculada were detected.

Reactions

Mirtha Vasquez, President of the Council of Ministers

“Pallancata is in progressive closure until December and the final closure begins in 2022. Inmaculada begins the final closure in 2022. Breapampa is the only one that would have progressive closure until 2023.”

José de Echave, former deputy minister of the Minam

“Like every stage in the design of a mining operation, the closure plan is taken into account, which is part of the mining activity process. This is how mining projects are developed, they have a closing phase ”.