In the World Energy Trade ranking, compiled using data from Miningintelligence, both large and medium-sized companies are included.
The Cobre Panamá mine, owned by First Quantum Minerals, has been included in the ranking of the ten largest mines in the world in terms of tons of extracted ore, according to the World Energy Trade.
It is estimated that this mine could extract approximately 96.24 million tons of copper, silver, gold, and molybdenum ore by the third quarter of 2021, according to production data reported by the Vancouver-based company.
The Cobre Panamá mine, operated by Minera Panamá, is located on the Costa Abajo de Colón, in the districts of Donoso and Omar Torrijos Herrera, and started operations in 2019, contributing 3.5% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Currently, the Cobre Panamá mine is in negotiations with the National Government to establish a new concession contract, amid resistance from certain environmental and community groups towards governmental policies that aim to promote open-pit metal mining.
The ten companies mentioned in the list, based on data provided by Miningintelligence, are either large or medium-sized companies, with eight of them being among the top 50 mining companies worldwide.
At the top of the list is the Escondida copper mine, considered the largest in the world in its category and owned by BHP, the largest mining company in the world.
The list reveals that Rio Tinto, the second largest mining company in the world, holds a 30% stake in the mine, which has an average daily production of 360,000 tons.
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. In second place is the Collahuasi mine, a joint venture of Anglo American and Glencore, also located in Chile. This mine is projected to extract 104.65 million tons of copper, gold, and silver ore this year, a significant increase compared to the 71.9 million tons extracted in 2020.
In fourth place in the ranking is the Buenavista mine of Southern Copper in Mexico, the world’s largest silver producer. According to the report, Southern Copper invested around 1 billion dollars in expanding its flagship copper, molybdenum, zinc, and silver mine.
In fifth position is the Las Bambas mine of MMG, located in Peru, with a forecast of 65.26 million tons of copper, silver, gold, and molybdenum ore for the year 2021. According to the data provided, the mine has faced community opposition this year, as nearby residents blocked a key transportation route. However, after a public meeting with Prime Minister Mirtha Vásquez last month, the communities agreed to lift the roadblock.
In sixth position is the Sentinel copper and nickel mine, owned by First Quantum Minerals in Zambia. According to the report, the company has decided to shelve its plans to sell a stake in its copper mines in Zambia. It is estimated that the Sentinel mine will extract 56.69 million tons of ore this year.
The seventh position is held by the Aktogay copper, silver, gold, and molybdenum mine owned by Kaz Minerals, with a projected extraction of 53.6 million tons of ore this year.
In eighth place is the Paracatu mine of Kinross Gold in Brazil, with a projected extraction of 52.46 million tons of ore this year.
In ninth place is the Antamina mine in Peru, owned by BHP and Glencore, dedicated to the extraction of copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum, and silver, with a figure very close to 52.45 million tons of extracted ore.
Lastly, in the tenth position is the Los Bronces copper-molybdenum mine, owned by Anglo American and located in Chile. It is expected that 43.64 million tons of ore will be extracted in the year 2021. COBRE PANAMA MINERIA COBRE FIRST QUANTUM COBRE PANAMA MINERIA COBRE FIRST QUANTUM COBRE PANAMA MINERIA COBRE FIRST QUANTUM
