The Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) reported that a total of US$ 1,410.5 million of mining investment was executed last year in the Moquegua region, which represented 32.5% of the total amount reached nationally (US$ 4,334 million).

"In this way, Moquegua ranked as the first region in terms of investments in 2020 followed by Ica (13.5%) and Junin (9.5%), according to the Mining Statistical Bulletin (BEM) of the Minem, corresponding to December 2020," reported the ministry.

It also stated that the construction of the Quellaveco copper project -owned by Anglo American and located in the province of Sanchez Cerro- represented the great majority of investment executed in 2020 in the region and the country: US$ 1,313.8 million.

Impact on employment and taxes

The Minem also specified that, in December, Moquegua was the region with the second highest number of direct employment in the mining sector with 22,650 workers, which represented 11.4% of the national total. "Again, the construction of Quellaveco was the reason for this important result", it pointed out.

It should be noted that direct jobs in the mining sector have a positive effect on the generation of indirect jobs.

On the other hand, the transfers for mining concepts that Moquegua received by December 2020 amounted to almost S/ 240 million: about S/ 180 million corresponded to the canon minero; S/ 51.2 million to royalties; and about S/ 9 million to the operational rights and penalty.