March 11, 2024
Between March 3 and 6, the Prospectors & Developers Association (PDAC) Convention was held in Toronto, one of the world’s leading exploration and mining events, where 26,926 attendees gathered, including investors, analysts, executives, geologists, and government officials from more than 130 countries.
The event was attended by the Minister of Mining, Aurora Williams; the Director of ProChile, Ignacio Fernández; the president of Sonami, Jorge Riesco and the Director of InvestChile, Karla Flores, among others relevant actors in the country’s mining sector.
Within the context of the Mining Tech Tour Canada 2024, organized by the Chilean Canadian Chamber of Commerce, AndesMet and Endevor, the CEO, Víctor Contreras, and the Business and Marketing manager, Andrés Jara, from Pares&Alvarez, attended the event and highlighted the importance of the participation of the public and private sector in the PDAC to promote Chile’s mining exports.
As reported by ProChile, exports of services experienced a record in 2023, totaling US$2,153 million, 55% more than in 2022, reaching 131 markets, with the United States being the main recipient, followed by Peru, Colombia, and Switzerland. The engineering exports accounted for more than US$130 million. Andrés Jara added that “although engineering project management consultancies exports reached US$80.7 million, Chile has professionals of excellence, so this market can continue to grow. That is why it is so important for a company like ours to participate in events such as the PDAC and to publicize the capabilities of Pares&Alvarez in the development of mining projects.”
During the convention, the Chilean mission participated in the inauguration of the Chile Pavilion and held meetings with executives from companies such as BHP, CAP and Teck, among others. Victor Contreras highlighted the importance of meeting with global mining players, as it allows them to know first-hand the demands of the sector regarding the requirements for future developments.
This year’s keynote speakers included Jakob Stausholm, CEO of Rio Tinto; Michael Stanley, Director of Mining, World Bank; Denise Johnson, President, Caterpillar Resource Industries Group, and Wojtek Wodzicki, Lundin Group’s Vicuña Exploration Team.
Finally, representatives of the PDAC thanked the high attendance registered during this year and highlighted the importance of the convention providing a place for dialogue between industry and governments, underlining the important role played by public policies in supporting the competitiveness of the mining sector.
