Capstone Copper said commissioning of the primary crusher at Pinto Valley found that major mechanical components need additional maintenance, with replacement parts being manufactured off site, so the crusher is now expected back in service in mid-December rather than early November. Temporary mobile crushing equipment should allow a partial restart of the concentrator in mid-November at up to 40,000 tonnes per day, and the company put the cost of the extra downtime at about 5,000 tonnes of 2026 copper production.
The company also said a national strike by a civic movement and independent trucking associations in Chile, called over fuel prices, risks suspending concentrate and cathode shipments and deliveries of fuel and sulphuric acid. Production at its Mantoverde and Mantos Blancos mines in Chile is so far unimpacted, which Capstone attributed to preventative measures and on-site storage.