During her speech at the event An Update on Mining in Chile, organized by the Anglo Chilean Society, the Secretary of State also highlighted the country's role as a producer of key minerals in the fight against the climate crisis.
During her participation in the London Metal Exchange week, the Minister of Mining, Marcela Hernando, participated in the annual event An Update on Mining in Chile, organized by the Anglo Chilean Society, in which she addressed the future policy regarding lithium and the royalty.
The Secretary of State said that "both our Ministry and the Ministry of Finance have worked to address the industry's observations on the royalty bill that is being processed, and we hope to finally agree on tax rates that do not affect our competitiveness as a mining country and that strengthen our prestige as a stable country that provides certainty to investors".
The minister added that "we hope that Chileans will also have a deep appreciation and legitimacy for the industry, perceiving that there is a fair remuneration in relation to the country's natural wealth and generating greater income for the State. Our subsoil, the wealth of our land, is the result of millenary geological formations and is a non-renewable wealth".
Regarding the lithium and salt flats policy, the Mining Minister explained that "it is based on three axes: first, to advance to a legislation and regulation consistent with current needs; second, the creation of a Lithium and Salt Flats Institute that promotes applied research in order to provide the State with scientific-technical and knowledge capabilities in central issues such as new methods of lithium extraction, advanced materials, battery elements, hydrogeological models, environment and, of course, communities".
"A third axis is to establish a National Lithium Company that carries out exploration, exploitation and manufacturing, under a public-private business model, incorporating the concept of shared value, transparency, partnering with companies that manufacture lithium here in Chile and open to our scientists, engineers, freelance professionals and technicians," she said.
Minister Hernando highlighted Chile's geological potential and the country's role as a producer of key minerals in the global fight against the climate crisis.
Gender perspective
The Chilean Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Susana Herrera, said that "it is a source of pride to be able to participate once again as a country in this important international milestone for the mining industry, placing those accents that characterize and give value to our mining practice, such as attention to social, sustainable and environmental elements".
Herrera also highlighted the commitment of the meeting to address "a gender perspective, and that is why the participation of the representatives of Chile's regions for Women in Mining, and the development of the panel of women in mining, are milestones of great importance".
During the event, a panel was held where women from different areas of the industry shared their experience and addressed the changes and opportunities for female participation in the mining sector.
