“They took from us the last water source that we had left”
Lucio Flores, President of FACAREMOQ
Anglo American in Peru: extractivism, effects and corporate networks is the result of cooperation between Peruvian and international organisations. Its object is to analyse the Quellaveco mining project, located in Moquegua, southern Peru. It also provides an overview of the socio-environmental problems that are faced in the Moquegua department.
The idea behind this investigation started in 2019 from collaborative work between Derechos Humanos y Medio Ambiente (DHUMA), which is a member of the Red Muqui network; and Terra Justa, which is a member of London Mining Network. In the context of actions related to Anglo American’s shareholder Annual General Meetings (AGM), both Terra Justa and DHUMA undertook efforts to contact and build relationships with social leaders and community environmental monitors. From the start, therefore, the investigation has been connected to the voices of communities and families who coexist with mining and suffer its effects.
From early on, the investigation was supported by London Mining Network. In 2023, Red Muqui joined the team and led the consolidation of research. Red Muqui’s involvement also made it possible to strengthen relationships with social leaders in Moquegua. Among them, particular recognition is due to Lucio Flores and Freddy Cárdenas, whose documentation of the Quellaveco project over many years has been essential to the investigation. The research was also supported by the work of the London Mining Network with University College London, Ground Lab at the Architectural Association and their Landscape Architecture master’s programme, who assisted with the production of some of the maps and figures for this research.
Quellaveco has been in operation since 2022 and is jointly owned by mining corporations Anglo American and Mitsubishi, with the former as majority shareholder and operator. For many years, Quellaveco has been presented as a ‘model’ project where technological innovation helps to limit environmental damage. Nevertheless, it has also been questioned by social organisations and communities in Moquegua, who have experienced negative impacts on their land, rivers, and likely their health.
This investigation presents official documentation and empirical evidence on the Quellaveco mining project. It also connects Moquegua’s environmental problems with the incidence of extractivism in the region. The report is published as a result of collaboration between Communities in Moquegua, FACAREMOQ, Red Muqui, DHUMA, TerraJusta and London Mining Network.
Key findings
Water
Anglo American’s diversion of the Asana River has resulted in the loss of around 7km of aquatic habitat, irreversibly impacting the local ecosystem. Water monitoring shows significant metal contamination in the Tumilaca river sub-basin.
Particulate matter
PM10 (Particulate Matter 10 micrometers or less) and TSP (Total Suspended Particulates) generated by mining activities in Quellaveco caused an increase in copper and molybdenum concentrations in soils, oregano crops, and shrublands. Levels of copper found exceeded values potentially harmful to oregano growth.
Compliance
The report identifies a persistent pattern of environmental and social impact, with several of the agreements reached between Anglo American and Moquegua communities in 2012 remaining unfulfilled. An emblematic case is Agreement 11, which concerns the construction of the Asana River dam, which has not been implemented.
Communities in Moquegua are asking for Anglo American to fulfil the 26 agreements they have, in particular, Agreement 11, to build the Asana water dam. During the AGM this year, Anglo American said they will build the dam. Act today in solidarity with the people of Moquegua by calling on Anglo American to fulfil this agreement by sending this letter to them: https://londonminingnetwork.org/2026/04/anglo-americans-quellaveco-copper-mine-has-not-fulfilled-agreement-11-with-the-population-of-moquegua/