Cerro de Pasco’s expanded Quiulacocha tailings access: project and TSF lens for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Cerro de Pasco Resources has secured AMSAC approval for coordinated access to the entire 57-hectare Quiulacocha tailings storage facility in Peru, extending beyond its El Metalurgista concession and triggering a share price jump of over 20% to a C$445 million market capitalisation. The agreement, worth about 7.2 million soles (US$2.1 million) over its initial term, allows immediate execution of resource, geotechnical and hydrogeological drilling plus surface and subsurface geophysics from mid-2026. These datasets will underpin a new mineral resource estimate, feasibility studies and a full EIA for reprocessing historic tailings containing an estimated 262,000 tonnes of copper-era metal.
Technical Brief
- Quiulacocha tailings storage facility occupies 57 hectares, covering over half of Cerro de Pasco’s El Metalurgista concession.
- Tailings derive from the historic Cerro de Pasco polymetallic mine, with silver, zinc, copper, lead and gold.
- Historic copper-era tailings (1906–1965) contain an estimated 262,000 tonnes of contained metal for reprocessing.
- AMSAC, the Peruvian state entity for legacy mining liabilities, is counterpart to the new framework agreement.
- Consideration totals about 7.2 million soles (~US$2.1 million) over the agreement’s initial term, with extension flexibility.
- Technical work authorised includes resource definition drilling, geotechnical and hydrogeological drilling, plus surface and subsurface geophysics.
Our Take
Cerro de Pasco Resources now sits in the upper tier of junior tailings players in our database by market capitalisation, with the C$445 million post-announcement value comparable to single-asset Latin American silver–zinc developers rather than typical waste-reprocessing start-ups.
The 57 ha Quiulacocha TSF footprint and 100% control of the El Metalurgista concession give Cerro de Pasco unusual leverage in negotiations with state entities such as AMSAC and ENAMI, as there is no competing private mineral title over the core project area in our current Peru coverage.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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