Mining
From The Report: Colombia 2013
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The past decade has seen something of a reawakening for the mining industry, as improved security and political support have resulted in increased investment and mineral production. While still a relatively small percentage of the wider economy, revenues from mining exports have risen dramatically over the past decade. Mining activities expanded 6.3% in 2012, largely thanks to the 19% expansion in the mining of metallic minerals. The current administration has high hopes of expanding production of its primary mining exports – coal and gold – while formalising the vast number of informal operations and ensuring a stable and secure environment for private firms.
This chapter includes interviews with Beatriz Uribe, President, Mineros; and Maria Constanza García, President, Agencia Nacional de Minería.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Digging in: Improved security and political support provide strong foundations
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The past decade has been something of a reawakening for the mining industry, as improved security and political support have resulted in increased investment and mineral production. A polymetallic country with robust resources of coal, gold, copper, nickel and emeralds, Colombia is also relatively unexplored. A 2012 Ministry of Mines and Energy (Ministerio de Minas y Energía, MME) study revealed that only 52% of the subsoil has been analysed, a figure which goes down to 30% in terms of geochemistry…

Interview

OBG talks to Beatriz Uribe, President, Mineros
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Interview:Beatriz Uribe How frequently are exploration delays the result of instability and security issues? BEATRIZ URIBE: Mining development has been stunted for many years due to security problems. The conflict prevented miners from entering rural areas for 40 years due to the high risk for investors and explorers, particularly in the case of foreigners. Since former President Álvaro Uribe’s administration, there has been a notable improvement in security, which spurred investment and…

Interview

OBG talks to Maria Constanza García, President, National Mining Agency (ANM)
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Interview:Maria Constanza García How is the ANM applying mining regulations? MARIA CONSTANZA GARCÍA: In granting mining rights, the ANM is applying the principle of "first in time, first in right". The government established 11 strategic elements within the National Development Plan, which define strategic mining areas. This will help us grant new mining titles through a "Mining Round", a bidding process in which 20.5m ha will be auctioned for mineral exploration. To develop this process,…

Analysis

Flowing free: Growing investor confidence has attracted significant funds
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The mining sector has become an increasingly attractive investment target for various reasons. Foremost is the fact that Colombia possesses a diverse geology that is home to an assortment of precious minerals and metals. With access to both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, it also provides a strategic location from which to export. Due to decades of political and social unrest, Colombia remains a relatively unexplored and untapped mining resource, and security improvements over the past decade…

Analysis

New frontiers: As geological knowledge expands, so too could mineral reserves
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The identification of the mining sector as a driver of economic growth by the incumbent administration was largely, and rationally, based on geological potential. While large coal reserves are well documented, along with smaller deposits of gold, copper, emeralds and other minerals, the most attention-grabbing aspect of the country’s geological make-up is that, despite a long history of mining, it remains relatively unexplored. One of the primary challenges for the newly created National Mining…

Analysis

A formal dance: Efforts to crack down on informal operations are continuing
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One of the more difficult challenges the mining sector faces is the incorporation of informal operations into the formal sector and the elimination of illegal operations. Differentiating between the two can be a challenge in itself. Illegal and informal mining activities are reckoned to account for 9044 mines out of a total of nearly 15,000, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Ministerio de Minas y Energía, MME). Moreover, estimates put the amount of gold production from informal…