The Minister of Energy and Environment spoke at CESCO Week Santiago, one of the most relevant mining events worldwide. In a panel alongside industry experts, she presented the strategy the Province has been implementing to promote exploration and the development of new mining districts
The Minister of Energy and Environment, Jimena Latorre, participated in CESCO Week Santiago, one of the most important international mining events, organized by the Center for Copper and Mining Studies (CESCO), together with the Director of Mining, Jerónimo Shantal, and the CEO of Impulsa Mendoza, Sebastián Piña.
In this space, which brought together leaders, companies, experts, and authorities from across the sector to analyze industry challenges and opportunities, the minister took part in the Exploration Forum, a key setting to understand the role of identifying new mineral resources and reserves in project development. This process not only drives new initiatives but also extends the life of existing operations, ensuring continuity and sustainability within the sector.
During her presentation in the panel Mining districts and new geological attractiveness, the minister outlined Mendoza’s strategy to consolidate new mining districts and strengthen exploration as the foundation for sector growth.
“We explained Mendoza’s vision and the work being carried out to develop new mining districts that foster mature exploration, enabling progress in mining activity and positioning the productive capacity of Mendoza and Argentina in synergy with the region to meet global copper demand driven by the energy transition and technological development”, Latorre stated.
The panel, moderated by Irene del Real, Director of CESCO and academic at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, also featured international speakers such as Miguel Tapia, Greenfield Exploration Manager at AMSA; David Hobby, Technical Director at Flagship Minerals (Pantanillo); Andrea Aravena, Vice President of Geology at Hot Chili (Costa Fuego); and Michael Meding, General Manager of Los Azules at McEwen Copper.
The minister emphasized the current conditions required by investors and the role of the State in creating a more competitive and predictable environment. “The risk should be inherent to exploration activity itself, linked to whether economically viable resources are found or not. However, there are other factors that, from the provincial government, we have set out to reduce in order to facilitate investment”, Latorre noted.
In this regard, she highlighted the reform process promoted by the province: “Two years ago, we launched a policy to promote and attract mining investment, beginning with the modification of the Mining Procedure Code to update and streamline processes, addressing key aspects such as permitting, mining cadastre systems, updated registries, and the systematization of information, as well as coordination among the different actors within the system”.
The CESCO Exploration Forum is a strategic platform to analyze the status of emerging prospects, assess exploration competitiveness, and discuss the conditions needed to accelerate new discoveries in Latin America. The integration of regional perspectives helped highlight Mendoza’s geological potential and the importance of advancing cooperation frameworks to position the province as a key player in the supply of critical minerals.
In this direction, Mendoza continues to deepen an agenda aimed at creating enabling conditions for investment, with a focus on regulatory modernization, improved geological information, and stronger coordination between the public and private sectors. The province’s presence at CESCO Week Santiago reinforces its positioning as an active territory within the regional mining agenda, with real potential to integrate into global value chains linked to the energy transition.