Approvals, or not, of required environmental impact studies for several major Peruvian mining projects are to be handed out over the next few months, Peru's mining ministry said Thursday.

Mining projects in Peru cannot proceed without government approval of their environmental studies, known as EIAs. Companies can expect a yes, a no, or a request for further studies or modifications, from the ministry.

The ministry said EIAs for a planned expansion to the Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde SA (CVERDEC1.Vl) copper mine--majority controlled by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX)--should be decided by the end of April.

The EIA for Xstrata Copper's Antapaccay $1.4 billion copper project in southern Peru should be decided by the end of May or early June, said the ministry. Xstrata Copper is a unit of Anglo-Swiss mining company Xstrata PLC (XTA.LN), and Antapaccay is expected to produce an average of 160,000 tons a year of copper for at least 20 years.

The EIA for another copper project, the Mina Justa, taken over by China Sci-Tech Holdings Ltd. (0985.HK) from Canada's Chariot Resources Ltd. (CHDSF, CHD.T), is also due to be decided in June. The China Sci-Tech takeover is due to be finalized in May, while Chariot has said Mina Justa has estimated copper reserves worth $609 million.

The EIA for the Conga gold mine--owned by Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM) and slated to be one of the largest gold and copper mines in South America--should be decided "between July or August."

Meanwhile, EIA approvals for the Tia Maria copper project owned by Southern Copper Corp. (SCCO, SCCO.VL) should be decided by Aug. 19.

Southern Copper, which was expecting a decision in June, has faced a string of protests from residents in the mine project area. The mine is expected to produce 120,000 tons of copper annually as of 2012.

Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd.'s (ACH, 2600.HK, 601600.SH) Toromocho project should have its EIA approvals decided in August. The company, known as Chinalco, expects to invest $2.15 billion in the Toromocho project, and for it to produce 250,000 metric tons of copper annually by 2012.

Without giving a date, the ministry described modifications to Anglo American PLC's (AAUKY, AAL.LN) EIA for the Quellaveco copper project as "advanced." Quellaveco is expected to eventually produce about 220,000 tons of copper annually.

The mining ministry said EIA approvals were up 20% in the first quarter of this year.

-By Sophie Kevany, Dow Jones Newswires; 51-198-903-8043; sophie.kevany@dowjones.com
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