1. Fraser Institute mining study
Chile ranked country with world’s highest mining
potential
The report shows that Chile is the only jurisdiction outside of North America that
consistently ranks in the top 10 overall for healthy mining conditions.
While Alberta, Canada was named as the top destination for
investment from mining companies, survey respondents were also
asked to rank current mineral potential assuming current
regulations and land use restrictions. Chile ranked number one in
that category.
The country is regarded in the report as “the only jurisdiction
outside of North America that consistently ranks in the top 10” for
overall mining viability.
Data from the report by the Canadian Fraser Institute research
organisation was released at the Prospectors & Developers
Association of Canada (PDAC) Mining Conference 2011 that
concluded Wednesday in Toronto.
At the event, an exploration company president doing business in
Chile said the country "has a very responsible, pro-mining stance,
and reasonable environmental regime, not likely to blow up and kill
the companies working there.”
The mining sector in Chile is one of the pillars of the Chilean
economy and copper exports alone stand for more than one third of
total government income. Most mining in Chile is concentrated in
the Norte Grande region spanning most of the Atacama Desert.
Products other than copper include gold, silver, molybdenum, iron
and coal.
The study found that the industry is in a moment of optimism, as
more than 75 percent of executives surveyed expect to increase
their exploration budgets this year.
Chile also ranked 8th overall in a research document by the Fraser
Institute in a global survey looking at the investment climate of
mining jurisdictions.