In 2009, Toquepala produced about 127,000 tons of copper in sulfideconcentrates, all smelted at Ilo, with a copper recovery of 97.4%. Toquepala also produced 38,000 tons of copper cathodes from the SX/EW plant.[5]
As of the end of 2009, Toquepala reported about 13 million tons of contained copper metal in proven and probable ore reserves, at an average grade of 0.47% Cu. This corresponds to 2.6 billion tons of ore at 0.47 % Cu + 0.04% Mo + 2.3 gpt Ag. The projected stripping ratio for this ore is about 2.6:1.[6]
In October 2000, Ollanta Humala led an uprising with 50 mutineers who occupied Toquepala town for nine hours, taking four hostages. It was in protest at the corruption of Alberto Fujimori and his advisor Vladimiro Montesinos in their last days in power. Humala was left with just seven soldiers following a series of desertions. All hostages were freed, without bloodshed.[7]
Toquepala is expanding its concentrator capacity in order to increase annual production by 100,000 tonnes of copper and 3,100 tonnes of molybdenum at a total capital cost of approximately $US1.2 billion.[9]Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies for plant concentration and tailings deposit expansion were recently approved by Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mining according to directorial resolution Nº611-2014-MEM/DGAAM given on 17 December 2014.[10]