Commodities

Peru Unrest Threatens to Choke Off Almost 2% of Global Copper Supply

  • MMG’s Las Bambas has halted copper concentrate transportation
  • Glencore’s Antapaccay mine faces restriction in production

An employee sprays a pile of copper plates in Ilo, Peru. 

Photographer: Dado Galdieri/Bloomberg
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Protests in Peru are threatening to choke off access to almost $4 billion worth of copper just as China’s emergence from Covid lockdowns promises to boost demand.

Peru’s third-largest copper mine, Las Bambas, hasn’t dispatched copper concentrate since Jan. 3 due to security concerns. Glencore Plc’s Antapaccay is also facing restrictions. The mines, which share the same highway access to ports, together account for nearly 2% of the world’s copper output.