BHP-Lundin's Vicuña Targets $800M 2026 Investment at Argentina Copper Projects

BHP (BHP) and Lundin Mining's Vicuña Corp. announced plans to nearly double its 2025 investment in Argentina's high-altitude copper projects to about $800 million in 2026, communications director Caterina Dzugala said. The Filo del Sol and Josemaría operations, part of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold-silver district, are targeted to begin production around 2030 from a central plant in Josemaría. Total investment for the district is estimated at $5 billion by Vicuña, with local sources citing as high as $15 billion. Construction of roads and power lines in the remote Andes remains a key challenge. The projects aim to re-enter Argentina’s copper market, which last produced the metal in 2018, amid global demand for materials critical to electric vehicle batteries.