Lima, October 17, 2024. The president of the 14th International Congress of Prospectors and Explorers - proEXPLO 2025, Walter Tejada, stated that the Eastern Cordillera is today one of the new exploration hotspots in Peru. This was stated in an exclusive interview with Diálogos Mineros of the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers (IIMP).

“The southeastern Andean region of Peru and also the Eastern Cordillera are areas that are beginning to be seen (by companies). As a country we must increase the geoscientific knowledge of these regions so that the industry has the tools, the knowledge, the scientific base on which to develop its exploration programs,” he said.

Tejada said that our country has an underexplored geological potential. “If we put it simply, we have really squeezed the maximum out of the potential that our country has in minerals,” he noted. In this sense, he considered that in the Eastern Cordillera there could be nickel and lithium, which are critical minerals that are currently being sought by companies.

Regarding lithium, he highlighted that Peru has potential in rock-based lithium, normally found in volcanic rocks, which is different from what we see in other countries in the region, such as Chile and Argentina, which are more associated with salt flats.

“There is potential that we need to better understand through more applied scientific research in exploration. I think it is something that still needs to evolve further in terms of investment in exploration dedicated to this mineral in Peru,” he said.

Finally, Tejada stressed that the world's largest companies are exploring in Peru. These have high technical, community, safety and environmental standards.

About proEXPLO 2025

The 14th International Congress of Prospectors and Explorers - proEXPLO 2025 is organized by the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers (IIMP). It will be held in person from May 5 to 7, 2025, at the Lima Convention Center, under the slogan “Discovering mineral resources for a better world”.