What are the objectives of the 12th Congress of Prospectors and Explorers (proEXPLO 2021)?

This will be the first time that the proEXPLO congress will be held online. Our aim is to promote and make known the new projects and prospects for mining exploration that we have in Peru, in the region and in other countries, in terms of geology, exploration and even new technologies that are being applied to new discoveries.

Furthermore, I believe that this event’s first virtual edition will be an open platform and will give us the opportunity to promote mining projects not only nationwide, but also at an international level, as it will have participants from other parts of the world, and it will surely arouse a lot of interest compared to previous editions.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite geologists and those of us involved in exploration activities to join us in this event. Registration is now open.

What are the advantages of proEXPLO 2021?

A great advantage of using a virtual platform is that it facilitates the sharing of knowledge and experience.

Similarly, it allows each exhibitor to present their products, services and technical information, and since there is no need to move equipment or involve complicated logistics, each exhibitor has the opportunity to interact with participants and general public from their home location, whether in Peru or abroad, as well as to create virtual conference rooms and digital networking.

Therefore, I encourage participants to familiarize themselves with the platform so that they can make the most of the virtual experience that proEXPLO 2021 offers.

What do you think will be the contribution of proEXPLO 2021 to Peruvian mining?

Undoubtedly, proEXPLO 2021's contribution is a technological one. I think that in the last few years, the digital disruption and transformation, not only experienced by the mining industry but by all industries in terms of communications and technology in general, has led to a huge amount of data and information that must be processed and this will contribute significantly to new discoveries. If all this comes together with the "permitting” process we need, especially in Peru, I believe that there will undoubtedly be a great advantage for new discoveries.

What takeaway do you want participants to take home at the end of proEXPLO 2021?

The message we should all grasp is that the world has already changed and those of us on the exploration side are not oblivious to this reality. What remains is to take advantage of the technological resources that we have at our disposal today in order to revise the projects, to produce more resources and to become more productive, which is what our country requires for the long awaited economic reactivation, since we need to develop more projects until they become mines.

How do you expect the market for exploration providers to develop in 2021?

Definitely, the market for goods and services suppliers is directly related to the price of minerals generated by the mining activity.

If we manage to make a division between precious metals, we see that gold and silver in recent months have maintained certain stability and are very much linked to political and economic issues. Meanwhile, base metals such as copper, zinc and lead have increased significantly in recent weeks, which has a direct impact on exploration and mining activity in the country. This can be seen in the greater demand for services, and today mining companies are exploring more than ever before. In turn, the government, I understand, is determined to expedite the permitting process that allow projects to move forward.

In this sense, suppliers of goods and services are constantly increasing their imports of products and inputs, most of which come from Asia or North America. On the other hand, service suppliers are also looking forward to constantly innovate with new technologies that allow for higher safety standards and higher productivity to reduce costs.

How do you envision mining exploration in 2021?

For me, there are 2 sides. The situation in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly led to a halt in mining exploration activity in the country; and on the other hand, the higher prices of both precious and base metals that we have seen in recent months have generated great expectations for the coming year, even beyond the political issue that our country is facing.

Therefore, since mining companies urgently need to replace the mining resources they have already consumed during this year, there is a greater demand for services; this is also accompanied by new technology that allows for significant cost savings and higher safety levels, which makes me think that the levels of geological exploration will be quite interesting next year.

What new developments are expected in terms of technology for mining exploration?

It is well known that obtaining an exploration permit in our country is very complicated. In this sense, a clear example of technological innovation is directional drilling with which it is possible to drill from the same point towards several targets within the mining property without having to build many drilling platforms.

It is well known that when a company applies for an exploration permit it needs to place a number of platforms and requires declaring the exact location of each platform; then, with the directional drilling technology, it is possible to reach many exploration points in depth from very few platforms. For example, this is a very clear contribution through which technology facilitates exploration work in terms of time and costs.

On the other hand, we have the use of automated equipment with rod manipulators that raise safety standards, expose the personnel to fewer risks and make the activity more productive.

In this sense, there are projects that were explored many years ago and no geological potential was discovered; however, today with the use of technology these areas can be re-explored. This is how new projects have appeared where many companies had previously explored and today a natural resource with significant potential to become a mine in the future has just been discovered.