Peru’s Poderosa wants action on illegal miners who keep attacking its gold mine

The Poderosa gold mine in northwestern Peru experienced yet another attack by illegal miners, who this time around used dynamite to take down two high-voltage towers that supply energy to the operation.

The attack is the fourteenth on the site in two years.

In a communiqué, Minera Poderosa said that the criminals broke into the mine’s pits right after knocking down the towers. 

“This attack occurred despite there being a State of Emergency and a contingent of more than 300 members of the National Police and the army in the area,” the company said in a release. “This new attack occurred shortly after the police evacuated 150 troops from specialized units that had been providing services in Pataz, who had not yet been replaced.”

The Peruvian mining company noted that although the deployment of law enforcement officers in Pataz province has been a positive step, their presence has not been matched with any strategy to deter illegal miners from carrying out their activities and attacking legal operations. 

In Poderosa’s view, illegal miners feel protected by the Comprehensive Mining Formalization Registry (REINFO) and the recent repeal by the Peruvian Congress of the regulations that sought to halt their modus operandi. 

Earlier in March, the parliament repealed the first provision of a legislative decree that gave the police special powers to detain miners who are not registered in REINFO and who are illegally transporting weapons and explosives.

“Unfortunately, law enforcement actions have been severely limited by the lack of support from the Prosecutor’s Office and regional representatives of the Energy, Mines and Hydrocarbons Management. Let us remember that the latter is in charge of supervising the work of artisanal and small-scale miners,” Poderosa’s statement reads. “This criminal act emulates the actions of the terrorist groups that sieged the country in past decades, as it threatened the integrity of our personnel and endangered our operations. In the last two years, 16 employees have lost their lives in attacks by illegal miners and 14 towers have been knocked down.”

Government and industry respond

Minister of Energy and Mines Rómulo Mucho condemned the attack and emphasized that the operation would continue to be protected by the army and National Police. 

Mucho also recognized that the mining formalization process has been more complex than expected, particularly after certain decision-making processes were transferred to the regional directorates.

But the minister’s statement wasn’t enough for industry representatives. 

In Lima, the Chamber of Commerce demanded that authorities take swift action to locate and prosecute the criminal organizations behind such acts.

Similarly, Supera — a firm dedicated to the business transformation of mining companies — published a commentary saying that authorities must commit and take action to provide security to established mining companies, as they are the main engine of the Peruvian economy.

Poderosa is an underground operation situated at an altitude that ranges between 1,250 and 3,000 metres above sea level.

It produced 300,662 oz. of gold and 191,898 oz. of silver in 2022.