On March 11th, 2022, former student protest leader, Gabriel Boric, was sworn in as Chile’s president. The election of the 36-year old’s Social Convergence party signifies a distinct move to the left and a country looking for change, following from the social unrest of 2019 that led to the 2020 national plebiscite that overwhelmingly decided to draft a new constitution. The contents of this new constitution have been debated throughout 2022, and a draft will be sent for public approval on September 4th.

What do the new constitution and the new government mean for Chilean mining? Global Business Reports (GBR) has conducted more than 100 interviews with the leading mining industry figures during the first half of 2022, while also conducting site visits to speak with those on the ground. We found that the sentiment in the country is one of cautious optimism, however, there is a current period of inertia as investors, analysts and executives are waiting to see what transpires in the coming months.

Historically high copper and lithium prices linked to increasing demand for electromobility offer a generational opportunity for Chile, as the world’s largest copper producer and second largest lithium producer. Minister of Mining, Marcela Hernando, and leading figures from Codelco have been aligned in their message that Chile is open for business and will welcome investment. However, as environmental regulations become ever more stringent, even leading mining jurisdictions such as Chile are struggling to expedite project development at the pace necessary to produce the metals and minerals required for global decarbonization.

The issue of sustainability has become an evergreen topic that dominates both mining and public policy, and was the overriding subject of most of the talks given at the World Copper Conference during CESCO week in Santiago, March 2022. In the case of Chile, a 12-year drought has highlighted the need for collaboration and investment into managing water resources to tackling climate change.

To cover these topics and provide a comprehensive annual guide to the different companies involved in Chile’s mining value chain, GBR is proud to present our ‘Chile Mining 2022’ digital report, an up-to-date review of the current operations, projects and latest trends in one of the pre-eminent global mining jurisdictions.

We thank all of our interviewees and partners for their time and collaboration. We also thank you for choosing Chile Mining 2022 as your source of information about Chile’s mining industry and hope it can contribute to a successful year ahead.