Cerro Quebrado Awarded El Seguro, Expanding BHP's Presence in Malargüe

Impulsa Mendoza awarded Public Tender No. 2/2026 to Cerro Quebrado S.A., a BHP group company, to advance exploration of El Seguro, a copper project situated in Malargüe Western Mining District.

The award includes negotiation of an exploration contract with purchase option over the mining properties Fausto, Gitana and El Yeso. Cerro Quebrado's proposal was the only submission received and obtained the highest technical and economic rating following evaluation by the corresponding committee.

The process began following a private initiative presented to Impulsa Mendoza. After the Board declared the project of interest, the provincial company called a public tender, with the notice published on July 23, 2026. The bid submission deadline was August 18.

With this transaction, BHP adds a second entry point to the district. On August 5, BHP Metals Exploration had formalized an alliance with Kobrea Exploration to work on seven projects controlled by the Canadian company in Malargüe.

El Seguro is located in the Malargüe mountain range, approximately 30 kilometers northwest of Las Loicas. Impulsa Mendoza acquired it from Agaucu and defined it as the anchor project for Malargüe Western Mining District.

During 2026, Impulsa built 19.6 kilometers of mining infrastructure, refurbished an additional 6.25 kilometers of access road and constructed a work camp of approximately 3,500 square meters. Additionally, it obtained authorization to extract 862.5 cubic meters of water from Pachico and El Seguro streams for drilling, construction and camp operations.