en.Wedoany.com Reported - Glencore's El Pachón copper mine project's community visit program has become a key initiative for building trust between the company and the local community. Since November 2025, the project has organized four visits, inviting representatives including students, teachers, employee family members, suppliers, and entrepreneurs from Calingasta Department. Guided by a professional reception team, visitors gained a clear and educational understanding of the mine's technical, operational, and environmental management realities.
A total of 74 community representatives had the opportunity to enter the mine site, interact with health and safety, environmental, and geology departments, and personally experience the scale of this project vital to the Province of San Juan. During the most recent visit in April, employee Matías Corsanigo and his wife Lidia Alcayaga described it as a "great program that provides an opportunity to see what the project looks like, how it operates, and the working conditions." Another family member, Daniel López, expressed gratitude for the proposal that "allows the community to go deep into the Andes Mountains and witness work life firsthand."
This was the second visit to El Pachón for employees and contractor family members from Villa Calingasta and Barreal, following the first event held in March. At Pampa del Indio, in addition to learning about the project overview, participants also visited the core library and observed how the geology department works. Employee family member Dario Cortez emphasized: "It is great to see the scale of this project, which is so important for Calingasta, San Juan, and the country." Another visitor, Andrea Ponce, thought it was "a fantastic idea to include family members, allowing us to closely understand the activities being carried out."
Teachers and graduating students from General Manuel Savio Technical School had priority access to visits. They launched the visit program in November 2025, having previously completed internships at Pampa del Indio. Jimena Kurban, Community Relations Analyst for Glencore Pachón, stated: "As future miners, it is very important for students to have the opportunity to understand this environment and see the activities being carried out." Accompanying teacher Roberto Zárate noted: "Being able to participate is very satisfying. Some students have high expectations of continuing to work or study, hoping to improve themselves."
The young visitors showed enthusiasm. Student Alexander Flores was impressed by the project and location, confessing he "wants to study mining engineering." Female student Damaris Torres emphasized that "here, women have the same job opportunities in mining companies as men." Other students were pleased to be able to put the theories learned in school into practice. All visitors indicated that directly learning about the exploration process, camp logistics, safety standards, and environmental protection through the activity helped strengthen project awareness in an informed and transparent manner.
The program achieved excellent results in the satisfaction survey conducted by Glencore Pachón. On key indicators such as experience, clarity, and recommendation, participants gave 100% positive feedback, demonstrating that the program is an effective community engagement tool.
Students, teachers, and employee family members particularly praised the clarity and quality of the explanations, the visit organization, the professionalism and warmth of the team, and the commitment to safety and personnel. Key areas of visitor focus included the scale of operations, the complexity of camp logistics, specific technical processes such as drilling and exploration, safety protocols and prevention culture, as well as landscape conditions. In terms of socio-environmental aspects, they showed interest in flora, fauna, and water resource protection. Community expectations centered on economic impacts, including job opportunities, training, local workforce absorption, as well as the project's future prospects, phase timelines, and eventual operational startup.
The 2025-2026 Community Visit Program has thus been consolidated as a successful initiative, demonstrating the project's transparency, visitor interest, and a positive perception of this copper mine project.
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