Mining companies celebrated the approval of the Glacier Law: what it changes for the sector and what investments it unlocks

The standard was expected by companies, which quickly came out to celebrate it as “a positive sign for the productive future of Argentina” that will allow “unlock relevant investments.”

From the Argentine Chamber of Mining Companies (CAEM) they said that “this is progress for increase regulatory predictabilityessential for the development of a strategic industry for the country, capable of creating quality employment, attract long-term investments and boost regional economies, while promoting the strengthening of the federal chain of mining suppliers.”

According to his view, the Regulatory update allows establishing more precise criteria for the identification and effective protection of glaciers and the periglacial environmentand clarifying where it is possible to develop productive activities under strict environmental, technical and control standards. “This contributes to clear ambiguities that for years generated uncertainty, maintaining the protection of water resources,” they added in CAEM. The entity valued the broad and diverse political support of the standard.

The most benefited provinces will be Salta, Jujuy, Catamarca, San Juan and Mendoza.

In its territories there are more than 1,500 glacial or periglacial bodies that are registered in the Argentine Institute of Nivology, Glaciology and Environmental Sciences (IANIGLA). Until now, mining exploitation was prohibited in these areas.

But the reform establishes that only those formations that demonstrate a “relevant and verifiable water contribution” to a basin.

Y It will be the provinces (no longer the Nation) that will have to prepare the inventory of the glaciers to be protected. Thus, some periglacial zones that today have protection may be redefined as formations that do not fulfill a relevant water function.

IANIGLA must update the national glacier inventory every five years, but using the data provided by each province.

As the 2010 Glacier Law was never fully regulated, there were investments, mainly linked to copper, that were waiting for clearer regulations to move forward. It is estimated that they are about US$ 40,000 million, which could generate exports that could quintuple in a decade.

165 billion dollars of exports until 2035.
Thousands of jobs.
Provinces that will change forever. 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷 https://t.co/7PSiHW7F0T

— totocaputo (@LuisCaputoAR) April 9, 2026

According to the estimates of the Minister of Economy Luis Caputo, who this Thursday wrote on the social network

Hay “provinces that will change forever”, believes the official.

In copper alone, the main projects promise investments of almost 40 billion dollars, the majority over the next 10 years: