Grupo Mexico plans to increase its copper production in Mexico and Peru by 64.5 percent

By Roberto Morales
El Economista

Grupo Mexico, one of the world's major copper producers, hopes to increase production of the metal by 64.5 percent in the next three years to reach 1.2 million tons in 2013.

To fulfill that goal, the company needs to restart operations at the Cananea open-pit copper mine in the first trimester of 2011 and achieve a production there of 180,000 tons annually, the company said in information given to the Mexican stock market.

Between 2011 and 2013, the company plans to add an annual production of 292,000 tons from its three mines of Peru: Cuajone (72,000 tons), Toquepala (100,000 tons) and Tia Maria (120,000 tons).

Grupo Mexico sold 505,000 tons of copper in 2009, mostly from full production at its La Caridad mine (125,000 tons) and Toquepala and Cuajone mines (387,000 tons together) in Mexico.

Additional future production also will come from the company's Asarco mine in Arizona, which it took control of on Dec. 10 after a long judicial battle. It hopes to extract about 220,000 tons of copper from that mine in 2010.

Although it has not yet authorized the required investments, Grupo Mexico, furthermore, expects to increase copper production at Los Chancas in Peru (80,000 tons), El Arco in Mexico (190,000 tons) and the expansion of Cananea (240,000 tons).
eleconomista.com.mx/industrias/2010/06/15/gmexico-crecera-645-su-produccion-cobre