Capstone Copper restarts Mantoverde mine while strike drags on

Capstone Copper Corp resumed operations at its Mantoverde copper and gold mine in northern Chile, even as a strike by a labor union representing nearly 22% of its workforce continued, the Canadian miner said on Monday.

The company, in an Australian exchange filing dated February 1, reiterated that it expects to continue operations at a level between 50% to 75% of normal production during the strike.

The decision to resume operations follows a Chilean court ruling last week authorizing the forced removal of striking workers from a desalination plant supplying water to the mine.

The dispute escalated after unionized employees rejected Capstone’s latest payment offer, prolonging the strike that began in January, which the company said remains ongoing.

The conflict centers on Mantoverde’s desalination plant on the coast, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the mine.

The company reported that on the evening of January 18, individuals entered the desalination facility, interfering with the plant’s electrical system and causing an interruption in water supply.

In 2025, Mantoverde has produced 62,308 tons of copper concentrate and 32,807 tons of copper cathodes, about 0.4% of global production.

(By Kumar Tanishk; Editing by Diane Craft)