Guillermo Pensado, president of the Mendoza Chamber of Mining Companies (CaMEM), notes that exploration in Mendoza is beginning to reactivate after two decades of inactivity, but project development remains at an early stage that requires time, investment, and the building of confidence.
By Panorama Minero
The representative of the Mendoza mining sector stated, during an executive breakfast organized by the chamber that Mendoza is starting to re-enter the metal mining map with institutional progress and a regulatory framework for the activity. However, the starting point is still defined by a structural gap: the lack of sustained exploration over the past 20 years. In this context, Pensado summarizes the current situation with a phrase that captures both potential and challenge: “we are working on fertile ground, but it is still green.”
The statement does not refer to geology—where the province would have favorable conditions—but to the level of available knowledge. Most areas with mining potential remain in early stages, with limited technical information and without systematic drilling campaigns that would allow progress toward resource definition.
Exploration: The Starting Point
The industry diagnosis is straightforward: without exploration there are no projects, and without projects there is no development.
In this sense, Mendoza lags behind other jurisdictions in the region. “We have not been exploring for 20 years,” says Pensado, placing the province behind established districts such as San Juan or regions in Chile and Peru, where multiple projects are in advanced stages or close to construction.
This gap is reflected not only in the number of projects but also in the stage of the mining pipeline: prospecting and early exploration dominates, while drilling—a key phase to validate resources—remains limited. Even in priority areas such as Malargüe, drilling activity is concentrated in a single project, while others remain in preliminary stages.
From Potential to Resources
Moving from “fertile ground” to concrete projects requires navigating a demanding technical and financial sequence. The transition from prospecting to drilling involves significantly higher investment and, above all, a level of confidence capable of attracting risk capital.
At this point, the investment factor becomes central. Pensado recalled that until recently Mendoza was not on the exploration radar for many companies. Reversing that perception requires time, regulatory stability, and tangible results in the field.
The objective, according to Pensado, is not to immediately replicate the development of other provinces, but to shorten historical discovery timelines. While districts such as San Juan built their main projects over three decades, Mendoza’s challenge is to accelerate that process within shorter—yet still long-term—timeframes.
Infrastructure, Regulation, and Scale
Although exploration is the core, mining development also depends on structural variables such as road infrastructure, energy availability, access to financing, and clear regulatory frameworks.
However, for the geologist, these factors remain secondary to a key premise: the existence of viable projects. Currently, the most advanced case is PSJ Cobre Mendocino, which serves as a reference, although on a smaller scale compared to major copper developments in the region.
Positioning Mendoza on the global copper map will ultimately depend on discovering larger-scale deposits—something that can only be achieved through intensified exploration.
A Long-Term Process
The dynamics of the industry involve long timelines. Building geological knowledge, validating resources, and advancing toward feasibility and construction stages takes years, even decades.
In this context, Mendoza’s current scenario reflects a starting point rather than a consolidation phase. The combination of geological potential, new management tools and a gradual reactivation of exploration create a window of opportunity, conditioned by the need to sustain investment and field activity over time.
Pensado’s definition—“fertile ground, but still green”—captures the current state of mining in Mendoza: a foundation with favorable conditions, but still under development.
