Glencore Pachón has launched activities for the 2025–26 summer season, during which more than 25,000 meters of drilling are expected to be completed in the Pachón and Carnicería valleys.

The initiative, located in the south of the province, proposes to produce copper oxide for agricultural fungicides, using controlled processes, with low environmental impact and an operational scheme typical of small-scale mining.

Cancambria is a project located in southern Malargüe that is beginning its prospecting phase through desk-based studies, with potential drilling exploration subject to results. The public hearing is scheduled for December 20.

With the activation of the UGA for PSJ Cobre Mendocino, the province adds its second environmental management unit—and the first for an exploitation project—in a key step toward unlocking mining activity after two decades of stagnation.

This initiative is moving forward in coordination with the National University of Catamarca (UNCA), within the framework of the transfer process and the new restructuring of Yacimientos Mineros de Agua de Dionisio (YMAD), a step that will grant the province majority control over the management of the state-owned mining company, together with the National University of Tucumán (UNT).

With projects beginning to move forward, the sector’s main constraint is no longer regulatory or geological, but rather the logistical capacity needed to sustain exploration.

While other jurisdictions negotiate with the federal government, Mendoza supports the bill that strengthens the provincial role in identifying protected areas and seeks to provide predictability for mining investment.

It signed an agreement with Distrocuyo to begin studies that will allow the construction of a new 220 kV transmission line and a transformer station in the high mountains of Mendoza. In this way, they aim to organize the project’s engineering and reduce uncertainty in an operation with high energy demand.

The start of drilling will be postponed a few weeks due to logistical reasons, in parallel with the activation of El Destino, Sofi, and Cuprum following environmental and legislative approvals.

With independent environmental permits and low-impact prospecting work, both projects mark a new front of mining activity outside the Malargüe Western Mining District (MDMO).

The Government of the Province of Catamarca and the National University of Tucumán (UNT) have finalized the signing of strategic agreements that complete the transfer process of Yacimientos Mineros de Agua de Dionisio (YMAD).

At a high-level meeting recently held in Catamarca, Rio Tinto reaffirmed its strategic commitment to the province and to the development of Argentina’s lithium sector, during talks with Governor Raúl Jalil and his counterparts from Salta, Gustavo Sáenz, and Jujuy, Carlos Sadir—members of the Regional Lithium Board.

The approval of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for PSJ Cobre Mendocino not only unlocks investment in a province with a stagnant economic structure—it also underscores the resolve of Governor Alfredo Cornejo’s leadership.

With an investment of US$559 million, the project moves toward feasibility and aims to become both the first case of metalliferous mining development in Mendoza and the project that puts Argentina back on the world copper map.

Teresita Regalado, Catamarca’s Secretary of Mining Development, shares a technical analysis, production outlook, and the environmental challenges of a strategic activity for the province.

Mendoza authorizes its first metalliferous mining project in 18 years: PSJ Cobre Mendocino obtains legislative approval, moves into feasibility, and confirms an investment of US$559 million.

In a market dominated by China, Argentina faces the challenge of turning early geological indications into concrete projects and positioning itself within the global Rare Earths value chain.

The historic Mining Investment Law is moving toward a comprehensive modernization aimed at streamlining procedures, reducing discretion, and strategically coexisting with the RIGI. Authorities and experts outlined the key pillars of the reform and its impact on current and future projects.