Antofagasta Minerals met with Cornejo amid Paramillos conflict

Antofagasta Minerals, the mining arm of the Luksic group, held a meeting with the governor of Mendoza, Alfredo Cornejo. The meeting publicly involved the Chilean conglomerate's copper business in its ties with the province for the first time.

The company is Chile's leading private copper producer and runs operations in that country, in addition to holding projects and exploration activities in Peru, Canada and the United States. In Chile, it produces at Los Pelambres, Centinela, Antucoya and Zaldívar.

Following the meeting, Cornejo highlighted Mendoza's geological potential, copper as a strategic resource for the energy transition, and the importance of legal certainty, clear rules and mining districts to attract investment. However, no investment announcements were disclosed, nor were any specific projects identified as having been discussed during the meeting.

The visit took place as the legal dispute over Paramillos Sur continues. Aguas de Origen, controlled by CCU Argentina, and Aguas Danone de Argentina are challenging before the Mendoza Supreme Court of Justice the decree that kept in force the Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) for the project's exploration.

Aguas de Origen has been controlled by CCU Argentina since July 2024, while the Luksic family holds a central position in that company and controls Antofagasta PLC. For that reason, Antofagasta Minerals' presence adds a mining dimension to a relationship that until now had been mainly associated with the Villavicencio business and the legal case linked to Paramillos.

With information from Panorama Minero.