en.Wedoany.com Reported - The province of Mendoza, Argentina, will be the official host of the second International Sustainable Mining Summit, scheduled for November 19-20. Governor Alfredo Cornejo announced this during a bilateral meeting held in the Chilean city of Los Andes, titled "Connecting the Andes: Bilateral Mining Cooperation and the Libertadores Pass as an Axis of Chile-Argentina Integration." The meeting brought together national, provincial, regional, and municipal government officials from both countries, as well as private sector representatives, aiming to foster cooperation in mining, energy, logistics, and border infrastructure.
In his remarks, Cornejo outlined Mendoza's roadmap for transforming the extractive industry into a pillar of productive matrix diversification. He noted that the Andes should shift from being historically viewed as a physical barrier to becoming a platform for shared development. Mendoza and Chile share the same metallogenic belts, which contain vast reserves of copper, gold, silver, iron, lithium, uranium, and potassium. Speaking about economic complementarity, Cornejo stated that it makes no sense to view each other as competitors, and costs need to be reduced so that companies can choose the most efficient corridors.
Cornejo detailed that the current government's main challenge is to build a sustainable mining sector with solid social support. The official focus is on empowering the state to issue fast but professionally qualified permits, balancing bureaucratic efficiency with strict environmental protection. To provide predictability and clear rules for investors, Mendoza has implemented incentive programs and regulatory reforms, including zone-by-zone approval approved by the provincial legislature to shorten legal timelines for complete mining areas, and a mechanism for projects under construction that has already launched 65 exploration projects out of a total of 200 planned projects. Additionally, reforms to the Mining Procedure Code, new tax incentives, and citizen participation tools have been advanced to ensure transparency.
In detailing assets, Cornejo presented the PSJ Cobre Mendocino copper project as the province's most advanced mining venture. He explained that the deposit is expected to become Argentina's first large-scale copper project to enter the production phase. The project has qualified for the Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI), providing fiscal and exchange rate stability for its long-term investment. Facing the logistical deployment required by the industry, the Mendoza provincial government confirmed that strategic works such as transmission lines, highways, and high-voltage lines are being implemented to meet mining camp supplies and strengthen the overall production system.
The authorities also proposed an interconnection agenda with the Valparaíso Region to consolidate logistics corridors, specialized service hubs, railway infrastructure development, and the modernization of the Paso Internacional Los Libertadores. The Mendoza delegation included Energy and Environment Minister Jimena Latorre. Opening speeches at the international forum were delivered by Los Andes Mayor Manuel Rivera, Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna, and Valparaíso Regional Governor Rodrigo Mundaca, all of whom supported the need to deepen commercial integration in the region.
