"Panama won't allow Canada's First Quantum to expand its copper mine operations", 26 January 2023

...Panama will not allow Canada's First Quantum to expand the area of its existing copper mining operations, the deputy environment minister told Reuters, stressing the government's opposition to what it said was a request from the firm for more land.

The comments from Deputy Minister Diana Laguna...[:]..."The company has asked for more surface to operate and we have said no," Laguna said. "They must work with what they have. It is more than enough."

A spokesperson for First Quantum denied that the firm is requesting additional land for the mine.

Laguna added that in negotiations over the new contract her ministry was pushing to install an office at the Cobre Panama mine to monitor its environmental footprint and assure tighter controls. This followed what she described as failed environmental commitments, including one that called for reforestation. Laguna said First Quantum had reforested only a small fraction of the required land and noted it had five pending judicial cases centered on environmental concerns.

First Quantum's spokesperson said the firm has agreed to the creation of the on-site office and significantly limit its easement right, which outlines uses for land beyond mining...

The government is reviewing requests for mining concessions in the area from other companies, such as Broadway Strategic Minerals Panama and Exploraciones Geologicas...