"Panama authorizes First Quantum to process stockpiled material from shuttered copper mine", 07 April 2026

...Panama's government formally approved ‌on Tuesday for Canada's First Quantum Minerals to remove, process and export stockpiled ore at its shuttered Cobre Panama mine, one of the world's largest open-pit copper deposits. The ministry and First Quantum said in separate ​statements that the measure aimed to prevent potential environmental issues, protect nearby communities ​from risks such as acid rock drainage, and supply the tailings management ⁠facility.

"This activity does not constitute a reopening of the mine and will not involve ​any new drilling, blasting, or reactivation of mining operation," First Quantum said in a statement.

The ​ministry added the measure was a preventive safety action and did not signify a formal reactivation of the mine's standard operations...

Despite ⁠the miner and government saying the measure does not mean the mine will reopen, analysts at Goldman Sachs said they viewed the ​decision and an upcoming independent environmental audit, due in mid-April, as potential ​steps toward ⁠a broader discussion regarding the future of the mine.

The Cobre Panama mine was shuttered in 2023 following widespread protests from residents over concerns about its environmental impact and its tax ⁠contributions to ​the Panamanian state...