en.Wedoany.com Reported - Hudbay Minerals has received approval from Peru's National Service for Environmental Certification for Sustainable Investments (Senace) to further increase the processing capacity of the Constancia project's concentrator plant located in Cusco.

The authorization, granted at the end of June, marks the fifth modification to Constancia's environmental permit, raising the plant's annual processing capacity from 31 million tons of ore to 34 million tons, thereby strengthening the asset's position within Hudbay's copper portfolio.

Previously, in March 2026, Hudbay had received approval to increase the plant's processing capacity from 29.9 million tons to 31 million tons per year.

Hudbay's approach to increasing plant output aligns with the regulatory framework of the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem), which allows for a flexibility of up to 10% above the rated capacity on the permit date. In 2025 and 2024, the company processed 30.3 million tons and 31.9 million tons of ore, respectively. With this permit modification, Hudbay will have a rated processing capacity of 34 million tons per year.

This environmental modification also approved further optimizations to the Constancia mining plan and extended the mine's operational life, although the company did not provide a new specific termination date in the announcement. The permit also incorporates additional infrastructure to improve the tailings transport system and water management system.

The approval of the capacity expansion at Constancia comes as Peru's mining sector seeks to enhance productivity, operational continuity, and investment in existing assets.