Colombian minister says $10bn on course for oil, mining & energy in 2012

IRJ – January 26 – Colombia is on course to receive approximately $10 billion in global crude, mining and energy project investments during 2012, says Mines Minister Mauricio Cardenas, speaking from the Davos-held World Economic Forum, Thursday.

Concurrently, Cardenas’ Twitter account made headlines when he updated the social networking platform to say that he has taken part in meetings with mining multinationals AngloGold Ashanti Ltd., Glencore International Plc, and Chilean state owned Codelco. Their mention triggered newswires to muse on whether or not any or all of the groups may consider copper exploration in Colombia in line with the minister’s comments made at interview.

Two days previous, local media outlets reported that Cardenas talked about plans to enforce tighter controls on mine project licensing and regulation. This will reportedly incorporate a new auditing system geared towards ensuring that mining houses adhere to labour, environmental, economic and legal frameworks in line with government expectations. It is estimated that around 9,000 mine operators are active in Colombia today.

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