Peru Needs to Accelerate Exploration to Avoid Losing Mining Competitiveness in the Region

Lima, December 24, 2025. Mining exploration must be understood as the starting point for sustaining Peru’s competitiveness in an increasingly demanding regional environment, said Adriana Aurazo, a member of the organizing committee of proEXPLO 2026, during her participation as a panelist at the Jueves Minero (Mining Thursday) of the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers (IIMP).

During her remarks, Aurazo stressed that the country faces a strategic opportunity if it succeeds in aligning mining exploration with international standards, innovation, and highly qualified human capital. “Exploration is always the beginning, the starting point of mining, and it is where a great opportunity lies,” she said, noting that this process must be accompanied by operational excellence and compliance that goes beyond legal requirements.

In this regard, she emphasized that competitiveness is not built through rhetoric alone, but through concrete action. “We need to do things not just well, but excellently, and to achieve excellence we must comply not only with legal regulations, but also with all international standards that allow us to compete globally,” she stated, adding that this approach will enable Peru not only to maintain its position as a mining country, but to strengthen it over time.

Aurazo also highlighted the role of professional talent as a critical factor in the sector’s development. She underscored the need to promote mining-related careers from a multidisciplinary perspective. “We must promote top-level professionals, from geology and mining engineering to environmental engineering, and why not economics or metallurgical engineering as well,” she noted.

When analyzing figures presented by the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) during the event, she pointed out that growth in mining employment and the moderate increase in production show there is room to move faster if exploration is prioritized.

“If our copper production has only increased by 3% compared to last year and we have greater mineral potential, let us think of exploration as an opportunity,” she expressed.

Finally, she emphasized that sustainability and innovation must be assumed as strategic investment decisions. Based on her experience as Vice President of Environmental, Social, and Sustainability Affairs at Southern Peaks Mining, she explained that the use of 100% renewable energy, total water recirculation, and the incorporation of an underground electric fleet demonstrate that it is possible to build competitiveness through responsible mining.

“Innovation and sustainability are the perfect strategy to be competitive by 2026,” she concluded.

About proEXPLO 2026

proEXPLO 2026 is the main international mining exploration congress in Peru, organized by the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers (IIMP), and constitutes a key space to analyze trends, innovation, sustainability, and strategic opportunities for the development of mining exploration in the country and the region. This new edition will take place from May 4 to 6, at the Centro de Exposiciones Jockey.