The Mining Engineer took the oath at the Government House and announced that she will begin the analysis of the Bajo La Alumbrera Environmental Impact Report presented by Glencore in December.
By Panorama Minero
Mining Engineer Teresita Regalado assumed office as Minister of Mining of Catamarca in a ceremony led by Governor Raúl Jalil at the Government House. Regalado, who served as Secretary of Mining Development, replaces Marcelo Murúa in the position, who was recently appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of YMAD (Yacimientos Mineros de Agua de Dionisio).
During the ceremony, which was attended by Vice Governor Rubén Dusso, deputies, mayors, and provincial officials, Regalado took the oath and later spoke with the press about what her main lines of action in the ministry will be.
Regalado expressed her gratitude to the provincial governor for considering her for the role of minister. “First, I am grateful to the governor of the province for this honor of being in charge of the Ministry of Mining,” she said.
Regarding the guidelines of her management, the new minister was emphatic in establishing continuity with previous administrations. “The pillars work will be those that have been followed in recent years with Minister Murúa, and previously Minister Fernanda Ávila,” she affirmed.
In this framework, she detailed three fundamental pillars of her management. The first, she explained, is “transparency, that information is available to everyone.” Secondly, she mentioned “citizen participation, which citizens can be informed and able to decide about this productive activity, which is the mining activity.” As a third pillar, she highlighted “a very important aspect, which is that mining activity, be environmentally acceptable.”
When asked about what this challenge implies as minister, Regalado was clear. “First, a great responsibility because this is a job that is truly very rewarding for me and comes to complete several years of being active in the public field,” she emphasized.
The new minister emphasized the importance she will give to collective work. “For me, this implies a challenge to continue working as a team, because we have worked in this way both internally in the Ministry of Mining, when I was in charge of the Secretariat of Mining Development, and also with other public organizations that are related to mining, environmental, social, indigenous communities, mayors of the areas of influence of mining projects,” she detailed.
In another part of her talk with the press, Regalado stressed that her responsibility will be shared. “This challenge is our responsibility now, because we are, I speak in plural, a team that will continue so that in the province of Catamarca, mining activity remains prosperous and generates development,” she affirmed, referring to what she called “the mining family.”
The minister also referred to the promotion of small and medium mining, one of the objectives set by Governor Jalil. “As the Governor said, we will promote small and medium mining with a group of advisors who will identify new areas with mineral elements, metals, or elements that may be useful to the market,” she explained.
Another of the most relevant topics addressed by the new minister was the Bajo La Alumbrera reactivation project. “The company Glencore presented the Environmental Impact Report of the Bajo La Alumbrera reactivation project in December 2025 and it has already been made available to all organizations for analysis,” she reported.
Regarding this project, Regalado outlined the next steps to follow. “We will start with a consultation schedule to inform all those involved in the evaluation of this reactivation. In this framework, possible adverse effects will be analyzed and, above all, the positive impacts it will generate in the province,” she said.
When asked about the changes in YMAD and their impact on Catamarca mining, the minister was optimistic, highlighting the presence of former Minister Murúa. “I received the announcement very positively because the former minister took a prominent position on the Board of Directors of YMAD,” she stated.
Finally, she emphasized that her goal in management will be to work jointly with all sectors of the provincial mining activity. “We will continue in a coordinated and joint way with the entire team of the mining family, which is the team formed between the Ministry of Mining, the mining companies, and YMAD,” she concluded.
