The La Arena Copper-Gold Mine is a high-quality, large open-pit copper and gold mining project in South America. It is situated in the La Libertad region of northern Peru, along the world-renowned Andean porphyry copper-molybdenum-gold metallogenic belt. The ore bodies are vertically zoned, with gold mineralization near the surface and copper at depth. La Arena’s Phase I is a producing operation that processes gold oxides through heap-leaching. Phase II, currently in the studies stage, will tap into large porphyry copper-gold deposits. The project has significant copper and gold resources, with strong potential for further resource expansion.
Phase II is in the studies stage, requiring further exploration and detailed studies on development plans. Preliminary studies suggest that open-pit mining and flotation processes should be used. If designed for an annual mining and processing capacity of 33 million tonnes, the project could produce approximately 100,000 tonnes of copper and 3.8 tonnes of gold per annum upon reaching nameplate capacity.
The La Arena Copper-Gold Mine benefits from well-developed on-site infrastructure, long mine life, and good local transportation links and stable power supply. It is located in a traditional mining region of Peru, which has a long history of mining activity and many producing mines.
On December 3, 2024, Zijin Mining completed the acquisition of a 100% interest in the La Arena Copper-Gold Mine from Pan American Silver, a publicly listed Canadian company. Zijin Mining now fully owns the project through Jinteng Mining.