Undersecretary of Mining Ignacio Moreno is heading a visit to Australia, organized by the Foreign Investment Committee.

With an intense program of activities in Australia, the Foreign Investment Committee (CIEChile) is promoting investment opportunities in Chile’s mining sector. The activities include seminars and meetings in the cities of  Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney which will take place through to Friday with the participation of a delegation led by Undersecretary of Mining Ignacio Moreno, accompanied by the president of the National High Grade Mining Program, Mauro Valdés, CIEChile’s executive vice-president, Vicente Mira, and representatives of Fundación Chile, CORFO and Minnovex.

“The idea of this tour is to promote the opportunities offered by Chile’s mining industry as a whole, with an important emphasis on the suppliers sector where Australian companies are very important and Chile offers significant advantages since it is an ideal platform from which to provide services to both the local market and neighboring countries,” pointed out Vicente Mira. “Our aim has been for this visit to be seen as one by Chile as a country and to have a high-level program so that companies can obtain first-hand information for scouting investments; in this context, we will undertake around 30 different top-level activities,” he added.

The situation of the mining sector and its outlook have also been discussed. Undersecretary for Mining, Ignacio Moreno, indicated that “as a government, we are taking a responsible approach to the challenges of Chile’s mining industry which are the same as those of the industry internationally; Chile is and will continue to be, the world’s leading copper producer.”

Mauro Valdés, president of the National High Grade Mining Program, reported that “through this program, we are addressing the challenges of mining in the twenty-first century in an integral manner.” He also noted that the tour serves as a good opportunity to learn about Australia’s experience in areas such as water management, supplier development and community relations.

The program of activities includes one-to-one meetings with companies in the technology, water management, education and development and sustainability areas, visits to local companies and meetings with state and university authorities. The delegation also participated in the International Mining and Resources Conference in Melbourne, one of the continent’s most important mining events, and has meetings scheduled with the principal executives of the mining companies with operations in Chile.