Peru orders Chinalco to halt copper activities

Peruvian authorities have ordered Chinese State-owned mining giant Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco) to partially halt its activities at a copper facility until it stops dumping waste, AFP reported over the weekend.

Chinalco Mining Corporation, a subsidiary of Chinalco, controls the Toromocho Project in the center of the South American country, one of the largest pre-production copper plants in the world.

Friday's order by Peru's environmental watchdog was sparked by inspections carried out from March 16 to March 20 that detected contaminants in the Huacrococha and Huascacocha lakes.

The agency posted a video on its website showing a yellow-colored liquid flowing into the bodies of water.

Yuan Li, a spokesperson with Chinalco, refused to comment on this when contacted by the Global Times Sunday.

Peru is the world's second-biggest copper producer. Chinalco has been developing the Toromocho project since 2008.

According to its financial report posted on the Shanghai bourse in March, Chinalco made net profits of 948 million yuan ($154.87 million) in 2013, reversing heavy losses in 2012.

Total revenues last year hit 173.04 billion yuan, a surge of 16 percent year-on-year.

The company attributed the loss-to-profit transition to better management and control over spending as well as capital operations.

It also said a reduction in costs in the production of aluminum oxide and aluminum electrolyte contributed 530 million yuan in profit.