The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Julio Moltó, announced that between today and tomorrow, a resolution would be issued allowing Minera Panamá S.A. to remove, process, and export the already extracted material that remains in storage. This material is awaiting processing. As explained, it corresponds to stockpile accumulations, which do not have the same quality as the previously treated material. The minister reiterated that in the coming hours, a resolution is expected to be finalized to allow the movement of this material for export purposes. "We are ready to take this step. I believe that between today and tomorrow, within the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, we must issue the resolution that will allow the company to begin removing this material to be able to get it out of the country," he said. The official stated that he does not have precise information on the number of tons involved, but insisted that it is a lower-quality material. He added that, at the request of the Ministry of the Environment and due to the risk it could represent, the president instructed to advance with the legal procedures. Among the mitigation measures, he mentions the timely removal of the material, proper drainage management, and the application of protection and neutralization mechanisms. Within the preliminary recommendations, the auditing firm insists that the handling of the stockpiled material, whether through treatment, removal, or processing, could be a technically viable measure to reduce or eliminate those risks, always subject to technical and regulatory assessments. "We are finishing up," he affirmed. Last week, the Ministry of the Environment, in its fifth audit report on the Panama copper mine, warned about one of the most delicate issues: the possible generation of acid rock drainage (ARD). The document identifies the presence of medium and low-grade material that has not yet been processed and remains exposed to air, water, and climatic conditions. The report indicates that due to the presence of sulfide minerals, this exposure could generate acid drainage and increase the concentration of metals in surface and underground waters. It warns that the risk increases as the material continues to remain on the site without removal or treatment. In the analysis of commitment 13260, the audit indicates that the prolonged presence of these materials increases their potential to generate ARD.
