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| A truck carrying minerals to Cerro Verde's concentrator plant. |
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© LIP |
(LIP-jl) -- Peru, the world's third largest copper producer, is expected to increase its copper production by 10% during 2007 according to Peru's Energy and Mining Minister, Juan Valdivia.
"Peru's 2007 copper output will continue to grow and we are confident that it will exceed last year's figures by at least 10%," affirmed Valdivia.
Record breaking metal prices, including copper prices, have helped make Peru's economy one of the fastest growing in the region.
Dependable and high copper production in mines such as Antamina and Cerro Verde have made Peruvian authorities confident that 2007 will be an even better year.
Cerro Verde, controlled by the U.S. company Phelps Dodge, implemented a new mineral concentrator plant near Arequipa last month.
Since Cerro Verde inaugurated its concentrator plant, production has been so high that it expects it annual production levels to grow from 100,000 tons to 300,000 tons, a 200% increase.