• More than 130 representatives of companies from 28 countries participated in the event, with US$9 billion in investment projects. The closing stages included sectoral sessions with ministers and a massive business matchmaking event.

The VII International InvestChile Forum has concluded with four well-attended sectoral sessions and a round of 200 business meetings. The event was the largest of its kind organized in the country. It brought together more than 130 representatives of companies from 28 countries, who presented investment projects worth US$9 billion, associated with 3,000 permanent jobs.

During Thursday afternoon, following the inaugural conference led by President Gabriel Boric and Economy Minister Nicolás Grau, foreign executives participated in sessions focused on specific business opportunities.

InvestChile Director, Karla Flores, emphasized that «in seven editions, never before has there been such huge interest in participating in our forum, which has been a ‘happy’ problem for our team. It is interesting to mention that companies apply to the InvestChile forum with specific projects, and they go through a selection process to be able to attend. On this occasion, we established sectors of interest that are in line with the opportunities we offer as a country, as well as with international trends, such as the lithium industry, technological and digital infrastructure, infrastructure concessions, and clean energy and storage. We are talking about sectors where foreign investment is called in to help us take a leap in quality, to be the engine of our development.»

Sectoral opportunities

The session on the lithium industry was headed by Mining Minister Aurora Williams. She was joined by the president of the State-Owned Copper Co. (CODELCO), Máximo Pacheco, and the executive vice presidents of the Chilean Economic Development Agency (CORFO), José Miguel Benavente, and the National Mining Corporation (ENAMI), Iván Mlynarz. The latter two executives gave details about CORFO’s second call for applications to select specialized lithium producers, with a focus on promoting value-added initiatives in Chile, as well as ENAMI’s open call to express interest in partnering with the company to develop, operate and finance the Salares Altoandinos lithium project.

The meeting on technological and digital infrastructure was led by Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Minister Aisén Etcheverry, who was joined by the director of InvestChile, Karla Flores. They addressed aspects related to the local market, the use of artificial intelligence, the availability of digital talent and the National Data Center Plan, which was announced the previous day by President Boric and will be presented during the second half of the year.

The session on infrastructure concessions was chaired by Public Works Minister Jessica López, who was joined by the general director of Concessions, Juan Manuel Sánchez. The companies in attendance were able to learn details of the 2024-2028 Public-Private Partnership Infrastructure Plan, which includes a portfolio of 43 tenders involving an estimated investment of US$17.6 billion.

Finally, the session on clean energy and storage was headed by Energy Minister Diego Pardow. The executive secretary of the National Energy Commission (CNE), Marco Antonio Mancilla, and the executive director of the Asociación Chilena de Energías Renovables y Almacenamiento (Chilean Association of Renewable Energy and Storage, ACERA), Ana Lía Rojas, both participated. They addressed energy storage policies and opportunities in Chile, and the incorporation of clean energy into the country’s electrical system.

During Friday, a business matchmaking event was held, where foreign companies participated in more than 200 meetings with public and private organizations, with a view to obtaining information on policies, incentives, permits and regulations, as well as exploring potential partners and suppliers.