Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism and Mining, Daniel Mas Valdés, met with regional authorities and representatives from the mining sector in Antofagasta on March 13. The visit aimed to promote a working agenda focused on investment challenges in the mining industry and to strengthen conditions for the sector’s development.
This was Mas’s first official trip to a region since taking office. He was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Mining Álvaro González Gorroño. Their schedule included meetings with Regional Governor Ricardo Díaz Cortés and Presidential Delegate Katherine López Rivera, where they discussed key challenges for local economic development and the strategic role of mining in job creation.
A central part of the agenda was a meeting with executives from major companies operating in Chile, including BHP, Codelco, Anglo American, Antofagasta Minerals, SQM, and Teck. Discussions focused on priorities for the sector, encouraging new investments, and maintaining Chile’s leadership in global copper and lithium production.
Regarding permit processing issues, Mas said he is “working to convert 90 permits into signed authorizations I would say, in the next six months.”
Mas emphasized that this first regional agenda seeks to strengthen fieldwork and encourage direct dialogue across all levels of the industry. “We want Chile to become a world mining power again. That’s why two weeks ago we met with small- and medium-sized miners in Copiapó, Vallenar, Coquimbo and Andacollo; today we held this mining summit with larger companies. For almost two hours we talked about the enormous potential of mining in our country, its main challenges and what we must do to facilitate more production and more mining development. All this with a clear objective: generate more social progress and improve people’s quality of life—especially in regions where this activity is key for development,” said Mas.
The day also included meetings with the Antofagasta Mining Association—which represents small- and medium-sized producers—and later with the Antofagasta Industrial Association to discuss how mining drives local economic growth.
