The protests which since the beginning of the year have been held by workers in the Cobre Panama project in Colón have paralyzed work on the power line and the 300 MW thermoelectric plant.
The labor dispute that has prevented the project from progressing arose after both parties, the workers' union and the company Minera Panamá, accused each other of not complying with some points of the agreement made between them in January, with intermediation on the part of the Ministry of Labor.
From July 26 to 28, companies from the sector will be gathering together in Tegucigalpa to take part in business roundtables and conferences on sustainable mining, water and climate change.
The III edition of the international congress will be held in Tegucigalpa.
The thematic axes of the event are: geological and geophysical explorations, mining processes, software and technological advances, sustainable mining, water, climate change and extractive industries.
In 2015 Honduras and Guatemala exported ores such as zinc, nickel and other precious metals worth $47 million and $46 million respectively.
Figuresfrom the Report on Import and Export of Ores, Slag and Ash in Central America,prepared by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData.com show that in 2015 the countries in the region exported 1,207,000 tons of ores, slag and ash, equivalent in value to $93.4 million.
From November 23 to 25 Latin American mining companies will be meeting in Panama City to explore business opportunities for the mining industry in Central America.
The Mining Chamber of Panama is organizing, in conjunction with the Latin American Mining Organization (Olami) a Second International Mining Congress, which will focus on challenges and opportunities for mining activities in Central America.
On August 16 and 17 industry representatives from around the globe will be taking part in business conferences and lectures on the role of mineral resources and the impact of the activity on the economy.
The II International Mining Congress is being organized by the Mining Chamber of Nicaragua and will be held on August 16 and 17 in Managua.
The conference will include business conferences, panels and lectures on the economic and social impact of mining on communities; the role of metallic and non-metallic mineral resources in developing countries and environmental challenges in modern mining.
On November 12nd and 13th Panama City Latin American mining companies will be gathering together in Panama City to address the challenges and opportunities for the industry in Central America.
The Mining Chamber of Panama is organizing the event, in conjunction with the Latin American Mining Organization (Olami), called the First International Mining Congress, which will focus on the challenges and opportunities of mining activities in Central America.
For non compliance with the deadline to deliver the financial results of 2013-2014 the securities commission of British Columbia, Canada, the trading of the shares by the owner of the Molejón mine in Panama has been suspended.
Despite having announced in September changes in company structure and operation of the Molejón gold mine in Panama, the Canadian company Petaquilla Minerals continues to face financial difficulties.
The Securities Commission of British Columbia in Canada, has issued a resolution barring the two top executives of Petaquilla from trading shares of the company until financial information is presented for the period ending July 2014.
Problems continue for Petaquilla Minerals, which breached a salary payment arrangement that should have been finalized in October and it has now been reported that two of its executives have been banned from buying or selling shares in the company.
Conflicts over environmental protection and excessive bureaucracy in the process of granting concessions are the factors that limit the great mining potential in the region.
The mining sector in Central America represents great potential for investment and business, however, it has so far contributed only 0.75% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), averaged from the six countries in the region, between 2008 and 2012.
Investment to be made in the local mining sector between 2009 and 2018 is estimated at $10 billion and it is projected that by 2019 the value of the export of metals will reach $2500 million a year.
From a statement from the Mining Chamber of Panama:
Relevant data related to mining in Panama:
• Mining brings economic, environmental and social benefits to the country.
On November 19th-21st 2014 companies engaged in mining infrastructure and construction in Central America and the Caribbean will meet in the Atlapa Convention Center in Panama.
The Mining Chamber of Panama, is organizing for the third time the International Minera EXPOConferencia event.
Mr Zorel Morales, Executive Director of the Mining Chamber of Panama, said that "...
Representatives of companies in the sector and investors will meet from 2 to 5 March in Canada in order to take part in the business conference.
The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDCA) has organized since 1932 the Annual Mining Convention which is attended by companies involved in the industry of mining exploration and exploitation in various countries.
A multi-sector table will discuss everything from a possible new law to a potential moratorium on the activity.
The Government, the business sector, environmentalists, workers, the church, and indigenous communities will meet to discuss a number of general guidelines for the country's mining future. Within a period of 60 days the decisions made by the multisectoral board members will be made public.
El Salvador and Costa Rica say NO. Panama and Nicaragua say YES. Guatemala and Honduras are expected to decide soon.
Gold and copper prices are on the rise, and investors are eager to put money in extraction projects all over Central America.
But the governments of Central America have different opinions over this industry. While these projects are welcomed and authorized In Panama and Nicaragua, informal and formal moratoriums to the activity are being decreed in Costa Rica and El Salvador, stopping mining concessions under pressure from environmentalist groups. Meanwhile, in Guatemala and Honduras new projects are awaiting rules and regulations that will likely toughen environmental regulations for the mining industry.
Korean companies are interested in the Gnäbe-Buglé field (Cerro Colorado), and the copper mining project by “Minera Panama” in Cocle.
Lee Myung-bak, president of South Korea, will visit Panama in June. He will meet with President Ricardo Martinelli to discuss Korea’s involvement in the country’s mining projects.
"Two months ago, Martinelli publicly stated that by request from the Korean Government, they would change the Panama’s mining laws, as the current regulations impede granting mining concessions to foreign government entities", reported Prensa.com.
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