Minera Zafranal Files Easement Request for 220 kV Transmission Line in Arequipa

The easement request covers two rural plots in Uchumayo district: Lote 4 measuring 0.6557 hectares and Lote 1 covering 0.8496 hectares, both with multiple registered owners. The Ministry of Energy and Mines published notice of the application in the official gazette El Peruano, requiring legally accredited representatives of affected property owners to submit supporting documentation within 20 business days under provisions of the Electric Concessions Law and General Administrative Procedure Law. This administrative process enables Minera Zafranal to utilize designated land parcels for installation, operation and maintenance of electrical infrastructure.

The transmission line development comes ten months after the Ministry granted a definitive concession for the 220 kV S.E. Yarabamba – S.E. Zafranal project in August 2025. The concession authorized transmission activity across ten districts in Arequipa and Caylloma provinces: Lluta, Majes, Jacobo Hunter, Santa Isabel de Siguas, Socabaya, Tiabaya, Uchumayo, Vitor, Yarabamba and Yura.

Technical specifications approved by the Ministry establish a 220 kV transmission line extending approximately 96.3 kilometers with single circuit configuration and a 25-meter-wide easement corridor along its entire route. The infrastructure budget totals USD 66.58 million including value-added tax, with commercial operation scheduled for early 2029 according to the approved works execution calendar.

The project encompasses construction of a new Zafranal electrical substation rated at 220/33 kV and expansion of the existing Yarabamba substation at 220 kV voltage level. The Zafranal substation will incorporate air-insulated switchgear technology with one 220 kV line bay from Yarabamba, two 220 kV transmission bays, and two three-phase power transformers rated 100/125 MVA. Additional systems include control, protection, measurement, telecommunications and 33 kV reactive compensation equipment. The Yarabamba expansion will add a new line bay with air-insulated equipment connected to the 220 kV busbar system and a field house for protection, measurement, auxiliary services and communications equipment.

The transmission infrastructure will supply electricity to the Zafranal copper project in Arequipa region, which will produce copper concentrate with low gold content through open-pit extraction and conventional concentration processing. Environmental approval was secured through detailed environmental impact study resolution issued by SENACE in May 2023, covering the transmission line and all project components.