As exploration activities continue across different parts of the province, La Rioja is moving forward with initiatives aimed at attracting new investment linked to mining.
By Panorama Minero
Through Energía y Minerales Sociedad del Estado (EMSE), the provincial government signed an agreement with Mining Investments to establish a mining company with private participation focused on exploration projects and the development of mineral resources.
The new company, Minera Petrel, will have a shareholding structure consisting of 90% Mining Investments and 10% EMSE.
According to the company's incorporation documents, the initial capital was set at 30 million shares with a nominal value of one peso each. Of that total, 27 million shares belong to the private partner and 3 million to the provincial company.
Corporate Structure and Business Scope
Minera Petrel will be chaired by Sebastián Pérez Escobar and will include Martín Emilio Buttigliengo, Rodrigo Zaldo and Gustavo Ramón Macagno as directors. Walter Alberto Gómez and Stefano Dante Cozza Di Carlo were appointed as alternate directors.
According to its bylaws, the company may engage in activities related to the exploration, prospecting, research, development, extraction, processing, industrialization, commercialization and transportation of metallic, non-metallic, energy and gemstone minerals.
It will also be authorized to acquire, lease, transfer and develop mining rights and concessions, as well as participate in tenders, contracts, partnerships, trusts and other business structures related to mining activityThe company was incorporated with a duration of 99 years.
Institutional Reorganization
Mining has also gained greater prominence within the provincial government's administrative structure.
Governor Ricardo Quintela recently reorganized the province's productive areas, incorporating the Secretariat of Mining and the state-owned companies EMSE and Kallpa into what was then the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Industry.
As a result of that restructuring, the current Ministry of Industry and Mining, headed by Federico Bazán, was established.
According to the provincial government, the objective of the measure was to strengthen the institutional framework related to mining and improve coordination of policies associated with productive development.
Exploration Activities in Western La Rioja
Among the companies currently conducting exploration work in the province is NGEx Minerals, which operates in La Rioja through Pampa Exploración.
The company received authorization to begin a drilling campaign at Solitario 17, a prospect located in the General Lamadrid department.
According to Alfredo Vitaller, Director of Corporate Affairs at NGEx Minerals, the program is intended to evaluate the geological potential of an area that forms part of the same geological trend as projects such as Josemaría, Filo del Sol and Lunahuasi.
Vitaller said the objective is to determine the presence of copper and gold resources in areas that remain largely underexplored.
Lithium and Associated Minerals
La Rioja has also authorized new exploration programs focused on lithium in several departments of the province.
The companies Litios del Oeste and Litios LRJ received permits covering five areas located in the departments of Vinchina, Rosario Vera Peñaloza and General San Martín.
According to official information, the projects cover more than 21,500 hectares and include exploration targets for lithium as well as other minerals such as potassium and copper.
Litios del Oeste will operate the Belle 11, Belle 13, Belle 15, Belle 26 and Belle 2 blocks, while Litios LRJ will carry out exploration work over an area of nearly 4,200 hectares in Vinchina.
New Mining Players in the Province
Amid growing interest in mining activity, the provincial Office of Corporate Registration (IGJ) officially registered Obema Minería as a new company authorized to operate in La Rioja in mid-2025.
The company was incorporated with an initial capital of ARS 30 million and will focus on mineral exploration, quarry operations, geological services and the commercialization of raw materials and mining-related supplies.
