Panama’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced on Tuesday that the government has not authorized any visits to the Cobre Panama mine, which is currently closed.
The ministry explained that any access to the site has been arranged solely by First Quantum, the company that owns the mine, without the involvement or approval of the Panamanian government.
The statement, shared on X by Minister Julio Molto, also mentioned that Panama is in the process of hiring an independent audit firm to assess the current condition of the mine and its environmental impact.
This announcement follows First Quantum’s recent plan to allow visits to the Cobre Panama site, which has been shut down since 2023 due to an ongoing environmental dispute.
The Panamanian government expressed concerns that public tours could undermine the fairness of any analysis of the site and its copper concentrate supplies.
Before its closure, Cobre Panama was one of the world’s leading copper producers, responsible for 1% of global copper output.
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