In a key space for regional mining, Codelco División El Teniente presented advances in sustainable development during the fifth session of the Mining Roundtable “Transforming the Industry from Mining in O'Higgins”. The meeting, promoted by Corfo, the Regional Government and Adolfo Ibáñez University, delved into the mining company's advances in key areas such as innovation, electromobility and strengthening of local suppliers.

The Mining Roundtable brings together public and private actors such as the Regional Government of O'Higgins, the Seremi of Mining, the Integrated Center for Piloting Mining Technologies (Ciptemin), the Regional Committee for Mining Safety (Coresemin), Minera Valle Central, Adolfo Ibáñez University, the Pro O'Higgins Corporation, Elecmetal and other actors. The space seeks to promote productive diversification and enhance the development of service providers for mining in the region.

Óscar Ávila, regional director of the Corporation for the Promotion of Production (Corfo), highlighted that “the O'Higgins region represents 3% of the national mining suppliers. We want to strengthen the current ones and increase their number. At this roundtable, we had an excellent day with important Codelco exhibitors who shared valuable experiences about the country's suppliers.”

The regional minister for Mining, Bárbara Gavia, highlighted that “we had a presentation by representatives from El Teniente on electromobility and the experience with local suppliers. The aim of this roundtable is to encourage collaboration between all the actors and for private companies to become actively involved. This is especially beneficial for small miners.”

Commitments to 2030

In line with the sustainability commitments that Codelco signed in six areas for 2030, El Teniente promotes initiatives to comply with agreements proposed by the United Nations (UN). In this context, the main advances were presented in two key points: electromobility (as part of the reduction of the carbon footprint) and the development of the territory with social value.

During the event, Codelco representatives shared the experience and progress of the corporate territorial development program "Juntos Emprendemos de Local". In addition, the significant local purchase of more than 110 million dollars from MSMEs in 2023 was highlighted.

Teodoro Schmidt, senior specialist in Codelco's Social Management Department, emphasized that "it is extremely important to participate in these collaborative spaces with Corfo and other associations to continue to articulate an entrepreneurial ecosystem, taking advantage of instruments provided by the State for suppliers in the O'Higgins Region."

In the case of electromobility, the work map was presented with the main projects, aimed at implementing a 100% electric fleet in underground mining. The case of the local company, Reborn Electric Motors, was highlighted as an example of success in the local economy.

Victor Dörner, Innovation consultant at El Teniente, explained that “this space is a great opportunity that allows us to connect with the territory, with local organizations. From the perspective of innovation, it contributes to advancing in paths that we had not previously considered and that will mutually benefit us.”

Through joint efforts and a shared vision, the roundtable seeks to transform the mining industry and contribute significantly to the socioeconomic development of the O'Higgins region, through the collaboration of public and private actors.