Mining Intelligence and News
Peru

Constancia Mine

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Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Molybdenum
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
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SnapshotThe Constancia mine is a traditional open pit shovel/truck operation with two deposits: Constancia and Pampacancha. The operation consists of open pit mining and produces commercial grade concentrates of copper and molybdenum. The Pampacancha deposit exhibits higher grades of copper and gold.

Constancia is one of South America's lowest-cost open-pit copper mines, with the mill consistently operating above design capacity.

Future exploration efforts are anticipated to focus on the Maria Reyna, Caballito and Kusiorco prospective satellite properties located within trucking distance of the Constancia mill.

Hudbay also continues to evaluate opportunities to further increase mill throughput after the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines approved a regulatory change in June 2024 to allow mining companies in Peru to increase throughput by up to 10% above permitted levels.
Latest NewsHudbay Provides Annual Reserve and Resource Update, Three-Year Production Outlook and Positive Snow Lake Exploration Results     March 27, 2025

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Hudbay Minerals Inc. 100 % Indirect
Hudbay Peru SAC (operator) 100 % Direct
Hudbay Minerals owns 100% of the Constancia mine through its wholly-owned subsidiary HudBay Peru S.A.C.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Porphyry
  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Skarn
  • Epithermal

Summary:

Constancia mine includes the Constancia and Pampacancha deposits.

The Constancia deposit is a porphyry copper-molybdenum system which includes copper-bearing skarn mineralization. Multiple phases of monzonites and monzonite porphyry have intruded a sequence of sandstones, mudstones and micritic limestone of Cretaceous age.

The majority of the mineralization is associated with potassic alteration and quartz veining, occurring as chalcopyrite-(bornite)-molybdenite-pyrite mineralization in “A” and “B” type veinlets, and replacing ferromagnesian minerals or filling fractures. Copper grades are highest where fracture-filling style copper mineralization is superimposed on earlier disseminated copper mineralization. The higher-grade hypogene copper mineralization is hosted by a dense A-veinlet stockwork developed in an early porphyry phase. The pyrite/chalcopyrite ratio is typically below 2:1. Molybdenite commonly increases with depth in association to “B” veinlets. Bornite occurs sporadically especially at deeper levels, sometimes associated with some gold values.

Propylitic alteration is transitional to the potassic alteration and extends more than one kilometre from the porphyry intrusive contacts. The propylitic alteration mineral assemblage includes epidote-chlorite-calcitepyrite-rhodochrosite. Subordinate chalcopyrite is also present, filling fractures or replacing mafic minerals. Sphalerite-galena veinlets and veins are distributed as a halo to the copper-molybdenum mineralization within the propylitic alteration zone up to 3 km away from the porphyry copper system.

Phyllic alteration forms a pervasive carapace surrounding and sometimes overprinting potassic alteration. The phyllic alteration accompanies almost complete destruction of primary rock textures; the mineral assemblage includes sericite-quartz-pyrite, limited amounts of chalcopyrite and associated occasional “D” veins and veinlets.

At the contact between intrusions and limestones, a magnetite garnet skarn develops, while a pyroxene– diopside (garnet–epidote) association is more common in calcareous sandstones and arkoses of the Chilloroya formation. Skarn mineralization is volumetrically much smaller, but grades are normally higher.

Structural deformation has played a significant role in concentrating the hydrothermal alteration and the copper-molybdenum-silver-gold mineralization, including skarn formation. Major inter and post mineral fracture systems in the deposit area strike northeast and include the Barite fault system. This is represented by a number of nearly parallel vein-faults carrying base metal sulphides and barite which have been exploited by artisanal workings throughout the property. A second important system strikes northsouth. It appears to be more recent than the Barite system and controls part of mineralization and most of the silicified breccias (sometimes mineralized) in the system.

The Pampacancha deposit is a porphyry Cu-Mo-Au related Skarn system. Oligocene unmineralized basement diorite is intruded by the diorite porphyry cited as the source for skarn mineralization. This in turn, is cut by intra-mineral monzonite intrusions which provide minor local increases in Cu-Au and also locally replaces skarn Cu-Au mineralization which is most developed at the upper and lower margins of the limestone body. Magnetite-chalcopyrite-pyrite skarn ranges to marginal less well mineralized garnet and pyroxene skarn, locally overprinted by epidote-bearing retrograde skarn.

Epithermal mineralization as low sulphidation quartz-sulphide Au + Cu style accounts for common supergene enriched Au anomalies along with other features such as hydrothermal alteration and veins typical of near porphyry locations.

The Constancia porphyry copper-molybdenum system, including skarn, exhibits five distinct deposit types of mineralization:
1. Hypogene fracture-controlled and disseminated chalcopyrite mineralization in the monzonite (volumetrically small);
2. Hypogene chalcopyrite (rare bornite) mineralization in the skarns (significant);
3. Supergene digenite-covellite-chalcocite (rare native copper) in the monzonite (significant);
4. Mixed secondary sulphides/chalcopyrite in the monzonite (significant); and
5. Oxide copper mineralization (volumetrically small).

Molybdenite, gold and silver occur within all these mineralization types.

Two areas of porphyry-style mineralization are known within the project area, Constancia and San José. At Constancia, mineralization is deeper than that observed at San José which occurs at surface. The mineralized zone extends about 1,200 metres in the north-south direction and 800 metres in the east- west direction.

The Pampacancha deposit is located approximately three kilometers southeast of the Constancia porphyry. The stratigraphy unit in the area is the massive, gray micritic limestone of Upper Cretaceous Ferrobamba Formation; this unit in contact with the dioritic porphyry generates a magnetite skarn, hosts economic mineralization of Cu-Au-Mo.

The intrusive rocks are Oligocene age unmineralized basement diorite. Diorite porphyry is recognized as the source for skarn mineralization, which in turn is cut by mineralized monzonite intrusions which provide minor local increases in Cu-Au mineralization. Skarn Cu-Au mineralization is best developed at the upper and lower margins of the limestone body.

Epithermal mineralization of the low sulphidation quartz-sulphides Au + Cu style, accounts for common supergene enriched Au anomalies, and along with other features such as hydrothermal alteration and veins typical of near porphyry settings.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Commodity Production

CommodityProductUnits20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Copper Metal in concentrate t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe113,825 122,178 121,781 133,432 105,897 
Molybdenum Metal in concentrate t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,272 904 454 
Gold Metal in concentrate oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe19,723 24,189 17,579 26,276 18,839 
Silver Metal in concentrate oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2,504,769 2,729,859 2,374,008 2,760,332 1,989,664 
Copper Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe488513480527399
Gold Equivalent Metal in concentrate oz  ....  Subscribe55,50663,18751,49365,709
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Daily milling rate  ....  Subscribe86 kt86 kt79 kt74 kt80 kt
Daily milling capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe90 kt90 kt
Stripping ratio  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe33,308,369 t34,372,156 t29,982,808 t26,519,954 t25,828,849 t
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe31,387,281 t31,282,610 t28,743,952 t27,032,775 t23,522,010 t
Annual milling capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Annual mining capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

CommodityUnits202520242023202220212020201920182017
Credits (by-product) Copper USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -0.23 / lb   -0.18 / lb   -0.09 / lb  
Cash costs Copper USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1.64 / lb   1.54 / lb   1.37 / lb  
Cash costs Copper USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1.41 / lb **   1.36 / lb **   1.28 / lb **  
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Copper USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1.9 / lb **   1.59 / lb **  
^ Guidance / Forecast.
** Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs

Currency202420232022202120202019201820172016
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Mine Financials

Units202520242023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD  ....  Subscribe
Growth Capital M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Sustaining costs M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 84.9   40   123.8  
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 87   42.3   137.8  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 700   805  
Gross profit M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 134.7   240.7  

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
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Workforce

EmployeesYear
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Aerial view:

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