Catamarca Governor Raúl Jalil held a working meeting with technical teams from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) at the Center for Art and Applied Technology (CATA), where infrastructure projects considered priorities for the province were analyzed. In addition, discussions were held between the international organization and the Ministry of Mining within the same framework of cooperation.
By Panorama Minero
One of the main topics of the meeting led by Jalil was the development of projects in the province’s interior. Initiatives discussed included the construction of the Fiambalá (Chuquisaca)-El Peñón road, where the province has already begun opening the route, as well as the Western Interconnection, which includes a 220 kV high-voltage transmission line between Alumbrera-El Eje-Belén, and the second stage of works at the El Bolsón dam.
The IDB delegation participating in the meeting included Tomás Serebrisky, Infrastructure Manager; Marcelo Barg, Management Advisor; Matías Guichón, Water and Sanitation Specialist; Martín Walter, Mining Specialist; Gabriela Rijter, Energy Consultant; Julieta Abad, Road Transport Specialist; and Juan Pablo Brichetti, Infrastructure Specialist.
Environmental Technical Cooperation for Mining
In line with this meeting, the Catamarca Ministry of Mining held a working session with Martín Walter, Natural Resources Development Specialist with the IDB’s Energy Division, together with the Provincial Directorate of Environmental Management and members of the team responsible for environmental assessments of mining projects in the province.
During the visit, the specialist from the international organization reviewed the technical processes carried out by the provincial authority for project assessments, while also identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement in mining environmental management. In this context, Walter stated that “the Bank’s intention is to strengthen the conditions that foster responsible investment.”
Following this meeting, both parties will move forward with the development of a joint working agenda to identify the technical needs of the Ministry of Mining and assess potential lines of assistance and cooperation from the international organization. According to the information provided, cooperation between the Government of Catamarca and the IDB has been ongoing for several years and has contributed to strengthening the institutional capabilities of the province’s mining environmental authority, particularly in processes and programs related to the assessment, monitoring and oversight of mining activities.
An Agenda That Also Included the World Bank
Dialogue with multilateral organizations was not limited to the IDB. As part of the “Mining and Suppliers: Driving Regional Economies” meeting, Catamarca Minister of Mining Teresita Regalado also held meetings with World Bank representatives Daniel Jeréz and Miguel Soler.
Together with Walter, from the IDB, the Minister outlined the next steps toward the completion and implementation of the Catamarca Transparent, Sustainable and Participatory Mining platform, which is receiving financing from the organization for the development of an Environmental and Social Monitoring Dashboard aimed at systematizing information on the sector and raising awareness among stakeholders regarding its technical, social and environmental aspects.
In this regard, Regalado explained that following the province’s adherence to the EITI standard, “a Technical Cooperation process began with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), aimed at improving the institutional capabilities of the mining authority and relations among the public sector, civil society and industry.” This process, the Minister added, was developed within the framework of the Consultancy for Strengthening Mining Sector Governance.
With the World Bank representatives, meanwhile, the Minister and officials from CAMYEN S.E. advanced discussions on the organization’s work supporting the Lithium Roundtable, within the framework of the “Partnership for Strengthening Resilient and Inclusive Supply Chains” project. The objective is to move forward with gathering information to develop a systematic, comprehensive, updatable and publicly available “Mining Project Investment Portfolio.”
In this regard, Regalado explained that the work “will include a scenario analysis outlining needs related to the systematization of public and private information, employment, infrastructure and services (transportation, energy, fuel and water), as well as the main inputs that would be required by mining projects operating in Catamarca Province.”
