Panama Signals It’s Ready to Negotiate on Shuttered Copper Mine
Transport bands used to move minerals at the First Quantum Minerals Ltd. Cobre mine in Panama.
Photographer: Walter Hurtado/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
First Quantum Minerals Ltd. was cleared to begin shipping out stockpiled copper in Panama, the latest sign authorities may be willing to negotiate a restart of the company’s giant shuttered mine.
Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino said Thursday he has authorized the export of “ground material” from the Cobre Panama mine, referring to copper concentrate that the company has kept stockpiled at the site since it was ordered to close in 2023. He also said his government plans to start addressing the mine’s closure and its path forward next week, “God willing.”