LIMA, July 18 - The start of construction on a

long-stalled Southern Copper ( SCCO ) mine in Peru triggered

protests by several dozen people on Thursday, as activists said

resistance to the contentious project could potentially grow.

Southern Copper ( SCCO ), owned by conglomerate Grupo Mexico

, said earlier this month it would begin

construction on the Tia Maria mine in the Arequipa region.

The $1.4 billion project had been on hold for years due to

opposition from community members in the Tambo Valley over

environmental concerns. Protests against the mine left six

people dead between 2011 and 2015.

Several dozen Tambo Valley residents began a two-day

demonstration on Thursday that they called a "preventive

protest," according to local television images and a local

leader. The demonstration blocked roads in the Dean Valdivia

district of the Arequipa region, near the mine site.

Southern Copper ( SCCO ) said the protest was not affecting

construction. Production is expected to begin in 2027, with the

mine eventually expected to produce 120,000 metric tons of

copper annually.

In a July filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission,

Southern Copper ( SCCO ) said the decision to launch construction came

after discussions with Peru's government that took into account

social and political conditions.

Anti-mining protests have frequently stalled projects in the

world's third-largest copper producer, which recently lost its

No. 2 title to Democratic Republic of Congo.

Miguel Meza, a Tambo Valley community leader, said there was

the potential for tensions to escalate.

"They want to impose the Tia Maria project, if this

continues we will radicalize the protest," he told a press

conference in Lima.

Jose de Echave, a researcher at CooperAccion, a nonprofit

that aids people affected by extractive industries, criticized a

plan from President Dina Boluarte to streamline environmental

regulations with the aim of boosting investment.

"Our concern is that if this strategy continues, we will

undoubtedly have more poles of social tension in the mining

sector," he said. CooperAccion has tracked 200 social conflicts

in Peru since mid-2021, with 64% related to anti-mining

protests.