Peruvian state energy regulator Perúpetro announced
on Monday a delay on the bidding for the rights to develop the country’s
largest oil block. The three companies involved in the bidding process, Perenco
Ltd., Pluspetrol, and Pacific Rubiales Energy, requested
additional time to finish developing their proposals. Argentine oil company
Pluspetrol has been operating the block since 2001, but its contract runs out
in August. The oil company’s time operating the 1-AB block has been marred by
frequent protests by the local indigenous communities.
In other news, possible candidates for Peru’s upcoming presidential
election have started laying out their positions on mining, one of the biggest
issues in the upcoming election.
Alejandro Toledo, former Peruvian president and leader of
the Perú Posible party, went on RPP
Noticias to outline his mining proposal. He argued that more of the
financial benefits from miming need to be invested in the communities around
the mining deposits in order to avoid social conflicts. Decisively pro-mining,
Toledo said, “The truth is that there has been a retraction in investment and
we need to regain economic growth from investors and we need to create the
necessary environment [for investment].”
Marco Arana, the ex-priest presidential candidate from the
Tierra y Libertad party spoke with La
Republica in Cusco about his mining platform. Arana’s policy on mining emphasizes
national sovereignty over natural resources, giving mining a necessary but highly
controlled role in society. He proposed an additional tax on mining profits. In
regards to Tía María, Arana called for the government to indefinitely suspend
the copper mining project.
We will be keeping a close eye on the Peruvian elections and
the candidates’ varying stances on the country’s mining industry. As mining
plays such a prominent role in Peru’s economy, the candidates’ stances on this
issue could be the most important decisions they make.
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