Peru Plans to Simplify Environmental Approval for Small-Scale Mineral Exploration Projects

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 29, Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines issued a draft amendment to the environmental protection regulations for mineral exploration, proposing to introduce a "Sworn Environmental Declaration for Mineral Exploration" (DJA) as a supplementary environmental management tool outside the national environmental impact assessment system. This mechanism applies to mineral exploration projects with insignificant environmental impacts, no more than 10 drilling platforms, and a footprint of less than 5 hectares. The draft has entered the public consultation stage, with a 15-calendar-day comment period.

Under the draft, eligible mining rights holders that submit a DJA may apply for an automatic approval certificate, to be issued by the General Directorate of Mining Environmental Affairs of Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines within 5 working days. The current Regulations on Environmental Protection for Mineral Exploration Activities stipulate that most exploration environmental management documents are subject to a negative administrative silence mechanism; this amendment proposes adding Article 40-A to the regulations to establish an automatic approval procedure for low-impact exploration projects.

The scope of application of the DJA must still simultaneously meet the environmental and regional conditions set out in the draft, and remains subject to supervision and inspection by OEFA, Peru's environmental assessment and enforcement agency. The Ministry of Energy and Mines also requires relevant projects to retain public participation mechanisms, including holding workshops or adopting other applicable methods.

This amendment aligns with the Ministry of Energy and Mines' recent efforts to streamline mining permitting procedures. On September 24, Minister of Energy and Mines Guillermo Shinno stated that the ministry is reviewing existing permits and procedures, plans to convert some matters to automatic approval, and proposes to cut or adjust approximately 50% of existing processes; these include simplifying exploration procedures, exploring VAT refunds for exploration projects, and adopting a positive administrative silence mechanism in certain mining procedures.

As of the end of August 2026, Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines had issued relevant permits and authorizations for 150 mining projects, involving more than US$3.067 billion in investment, including 24 exploration projects.