en.Wedoany.com Reported - Impulsa Mendoza, a provincial state-owned enterprise in Mendoza, Argentina, has launched a public tender to seek an operator for the next phase of exploration at the El Seguro copper mine project. This is the only copper project fully owned by the company, and the tender also marks the conclusion of its first phase of work. Sebastián Piña, CEO of Impulsa Mendoza, stated that the company's business model is not to buy, add value, and exit projects, but rather to create conditions for the private sector to take over, attracting companies with genuine expertise to enter.
The El Seguro project holds a unique position in Mendoza's mining policy. The project was acquired by Impulsa Mendoza from the Mendoza-based company Agaucu, at a time when the province was designing the Malargüe Distrito Minero Occidental, and it ultimately became the founding project of this system. It serves as the cover of the environmental dossier, which compiles the first 27 approved exploration projects in the district. Based on this, Impulsa conducted geochemical surveys, geophysical studies, multispectral analysis, radiometric dating, and new fieldwork to strengthen the project's technical foundation, and built access roads to the target area.
This tender also represents the first concrete precedent for Impulsa Mendoza to apply the role defined by its regulations. Law No. 9529 of Mendoza stipulates that when an exploration permit expires or an area becomes vacant due to a mine vacancy declaration, the mining authority must notify Impulsa Mendoza, which then has 30 business days to decide whether to exercise its right of first refusal. If it exercises this right, the company must convene a public tender within a maximum of 180 days, but it cannot participate in the project as a shareholder or consortium; its role is limited to managing the process, adding value to the assets, and selecting the operator.
This tender, designated as Public Tender No. 2/2026, aims to award contracts for exploration with a purchase option for the Fausto, Gitana, and El Yeso mining claims, all owned by Impulsa Mendoza. The tender is based on a private initiative deemed to be of interest by the company. Interested parties may request the tender documents by email before August 5, at a cost of USD 5,000, and must sign a confidentiality agreement. The bid submission deadline is 1:00 PM on August 18.
Those who purchase the tender documents will have access to a data room containing all historical information on El Seguro. The company's goal is to complete the process before the start of the next high-altitude exploration season, allowing the operator to plan fieldwork. If the future operator exercises the purchase option, Impulsa Mendoza will no longer hold full ownership of the project. At that point, its participation in mining projects will be concentrated in two projects where it holds minority stakes: a 33% stake in the Hierro Indio project and management of the provincial government's 12% stake in the Potasio Río Colorado project.
