Gold Fields has formally started construction of the mining infrastructure for the Salares Norte gold and silver mining project. Construction of the $860 million project is projected to be completed by the end of 2022, with first gold production in early 2023. The project will create around 2,700 jobs during the construction period, while around 900 employees and contractors will be employed once operational.
Month: January 2021
New home sales in Santiago plummeted 48% in 2020
New home sales in Santiago fell 48.4% in units and 47.1% in thousands of financial units (MUF), due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, according to a GfK Adimark Real Estate Supply report. According to the study, this is the lowest figure in 20 years, comparable only to the impact of the Asian crisis.
Brazil’s top Bitcoin exchange will expand to Chile after raising $38 mn
Brazil’s largest Bitcoin exchange, Mercado Bitcoin, has announced plans to expand across Latin America. Chile, Mexico and Argentina are among the jurisdictions it will expand into first. Chile is the fifth-largest Latin American country by peer-to-peer Bitcoin trade volume. The strong P2P trade volume suggest there may be significant demand from local traders that is not met by centralized platforms.
Nano One and AUI project to demonstrate cathode materials production in Chile
Nano One Materials Corp and Associated Universities Inc (AUI) proposed to make nickel-rich cathodes using Chilean lithium carbonate. This proposal was announced as the winning bid by the Corporación de Fomento de la Producción de Chile (CORFO) Council. Now, it has been selected by the Chilean Clean Technology Institute to take its patented One Pot cathode materials production process to Chile.
Applications for geothermal concessions will be possible via online platform
In order to make permitting more accessible, the Chilean Ministry of Energy made an amendment to the regulation of Law 19.657, on geothermal energy concessions. The law establishes that the request for a geothermal concession can be made through a web platform from May 2021.
Santiago Stock Exchange and S&P Dow Jones launch sustainable index that includes 26 local companies
S&P Dow Jones Indices and the Santiago Stock Exchange, announced the launch of a new indicator based on sustainability factors of local market share issuers. This is the "S&P IPSA ESG Tilte", a new family index that encompasses the ESG principles (environmental, social and governance) and includes some of the most relevant papers of the Chilean stock exchange, such as Copec, Falabella, Cencosud and SQM.
Sernac: Nearly 4 million people compensated for more than $55 mn in 2020
The National Consumer Service (Sernac) revealed that nearly 4 million people were compensated with more than CH$40 billion ($55.39 million) in 2020. According to Sernac, nearly CH$30 billion ($41.55 million) was obtained as a result of collective voluntary procedures that seek to achieve compensation without having to wait for long trials. On the other hand, the institution made three compromises in 2020, achieving the historic figure of more than CH$11.39 billion ($15.77 million) in compensation.
Chile will encourage use of electric-powered taxis with Chinese participation
The Chilean government unveiled a plan to encourage transition from fossil-fuel taxis to electric-powered ones, with the participation of Chinese company BYD. The program will offer subsidies to transition from conventional to electric taxis, as well as sell and install residential electric chargers, and provide a one-year follow-up of the electric vehicles. Chile's transportation sector accounts for 36% of the country's energy consumption.
Aggreko expects to save $7.4 mn with new 25.9 MW hybrid solar-diesel system for gold mine in Chilean Andes
A 25.9 MW hybrid solar-diesel system is to be delivered by Aggreko to power a new Gold Fields gold mine high in the Chilean Andes. The system is Aggreko’s largest solar PV installation in Latin America. Once complete, the solution is expected to achieve $7.4 million in cost of energy savings over the next decade and a further $1.1 million in carbon tax offset in addition to 104,000 tonnes of carbon emissions savings.
Chile’s avocado production down by 40-50%
A shortage of Chilean avocados has caused prices to spike on the domestic market and brought the export campaign to an early end. Production is down by 40-50% this season, mainly due the ongoing drought that has affected fruit production in the country for more than a decade.
