Meanwhile in Argentina, pro-mining provinces continue to get behind President Milei’s RIGI
investment law passed at a national level in July. Friday was the turn of Salta at a meeting and
press event called “Impact of RIGI in Mining: A New Opportunity?” with main speaker Gustavo
Saenz the governor of the province (15). The entire event was set up to educate local
businesses (suppliers, service providers etc) on the advantages of getting large-scale mining
investment into the Salta province and was strongly pro-mining and pro-RIGI, listing the
positives of the new law and so forth, underscoring that “the time is here and now” to attract
investment and build more mines in Salta. Here’s how local media reported on Saenz’s keynote
speech
“In his speech, Senz underscored the importance of mining for rhe economic development of the
province and highlighted the role RIGI plays as a key legal framework to boost innovation and attract
new investment. “This regimen is an important tool to improve the competitivity of our mining sector,
allowing us to move toward a more efficient and sustainable mining industry”, the governor said.
“This meeting, as well as allowing us to expound and converse about this key tool (RIGI) designed to
attract large-scale national and international investment, is a demonstration of the federalism that we,
the descendents of Gemes, demand.”
For those who’d like a quick history lesson on Martn Miguel de Gemes, local to the Salta
region, hero of Argentina’s War of Independence and an obligatory chapter of your Argentine
secondary school education wherever you might live, I was happy to discover this weekend that
Wikipedia even has a page on him in English (16). As for the mining side, Senz has already
had significant success with the news First Quantum plans to move ahead with Taca Taca in
2025, a project with the size to make an immediate impact on provincial GDP even in its
construction phase.