• This according to Julia Torreblanca, the vice-president of corporate affairs of Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde, who participated at the event organized by the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers.

During Rumbo a PERUMIN, Julia Torreblanca, the vice-president of corporate affairs at Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde, said that there are twelve mining projects in the country that are  'ready to be implemented under the right conditions.' These projects “have the potential to generate an additional US$ 800 million in taxes for the State.”

Some of these projects are Zafranal, Tía María, Pampa de Pongo, and Don Javier. They are located in Arequipa and their total estimated investment is US$ 6.7 billion, as per the mining project portfolio of the Ministry of Energy and Mines.

From her perspective, these resources could be harnessed to build 80 kindergarten, primary, and secondary schools,  and to provide quality employment and a value chain that benefits both citizens and companies.

Public Expenditure Focused on Education and Infrastructure

On the other hand, she emphasized the need to direct fiscal redistribution (canon), additional fiscal redistribution (sobrecanon), and mining royalties transferred to governments and municipalities primarily towards investments in education and infrastructure, while boosting regional development plans that will outlast current officials.

“A study conducted by ComexPerú suggests the need for a redistribution of funds, as some districts have substantial resources whereas others do not. Nevertheless, I believe that may not be necessary if we manage to devise short-, medium-, and long-term plans for those districts,” she said.

Business Cluster in Arequipa Must Be Leveraged

Finally, Julia Torreblanca stated that there is a cluster composed of local companies in Arequipa. This cluster can be leveraged for better organization and service to other productive sectors in the south, such as mining and agroindustry.

“This cluster already exists in Arequipa and has been growing. It has relocated in certain areas, like La Joya, and I believe it can be leveraged for the benefit of the region.”