Argentine judge orders halt to mining activity, road access near Vicuña’s copper project

Police in Argentina’s La Rioja province blocked a road leading to the Vicuña copper project, and a judge issued a suspension of activity over environmental concerns, though the company said it has not been formally notified and continued operating.

A judge in La Rioja ordered a 30-day suspension of activities at Vicuña’s operational base and barred vehicle circulation along a disputed road corridor, citing potential environmental risks and the lack of a comprehensive environmental impact assessment presented to La Rioja authorities, according to a judicial document dated April 14 and reviewed by Reuters.

Although Vicuña is located in the neighboring province of San Juan, it is accessible via a road running through La Rioja.

Vicuña Corp, formed by Australia’s BHP and Canada’s Lundin Mining, had not received official notification of the judicial order and the project was operating normally, the spokesperson told Reuters.

“The police of La Rioja blocked the road, which is a provincial route, saying that it obeyed a court order, but they did not show it to us and the justice system has not notified us of anything yet,” the spokesperson said, adding that the project was able to rely on another route.

The project spanning the Argentina–Chile border includes the Filo del Sol and Josemaria mines, which together form the Vicuña district, one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper, gold and silver deposits, according to the company.

The developments could rank among the most consequential copper projects globally, with Vicuña estimating investment at about $5 billion, though industry sources put the total as high as $15 billion.

Argentina has not produced copper since the Alumbrera mine closed in 2018. It is seeking to re‑enter the global market as governments and automakers warn of looming shortages of the metal critical to electrification.

(By Lucila Sigal, Divya Rajagopal and Brendan O’Boyle; Editing by Cassandra Garrison and Stephen Coates)