The world’s third largest copper deposit is set to literally light up the lives of the people living near it.
The world’s third largest copper deposit is set to literally light up the lives of the people living near it. The Cobre Panama mine, which represents a $10-billion investment by the Canadian firm First Quantum Minerals Ltd., is bringing electricity for the first time ever to the villagers living in the area.
“The mine had to build a 300 megawatt energy plant, and of those, they’re giving back 100 MW to the local community that never had electricity before,” says Deborah Archibald, a geologist and director of the School of Public Policy’s Extractive Resource Governance program (ERGP).
Archibald led a two-day “Mining 101” workshop for government officials Sept. 26 and 27 in Panama City to teach them about such things as best practices for formulating effective policy and regulatory frameworks, community consultation and environmental impact assessments. Many of the attendees were from Panama’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
“They have no stand-alone mining department. The industry has been so small; they’re trying to decide if they should set up a department,” Archibald says. She was pleased to see how enthusiastic the delegates were about learning everything they can around best practices, especially in community consultation.
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Image via University of Calgary.
