Chile-based copper mining group Antofagasta Minerals CEO and ICMM chairperson Iván Arriagada has called for faster permitting timelines in Latin America without compromising standards owing to the urgent need to transform the industry as demand rises.

He made this call ahead of the twenty-seventh World Mining Congress being hosted in Peru in June.

“Latin America’s ability to meet the growing global demand for critical minerals is not in question. The challenge lies in timing. Today, project development timelines remain one of the main bottlenecks for the mining sector,” Arriagada stated, adding that there was a lack of efficiency in permitting and authorisation processes.

“In most of our countries, that cycle is roughly measured at ten years. It is a very long time for a mining project to take ten years to be developed,” he said in an interview with the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers.

In Peru, timelines can be even longer, sometimes extending over several decades before reaching operation.

Arriagada, who will be a speaker at the World Mining Congress 2026, noted that authorisation processes were one of the key factors affecting timelines. “Many procedures involve overlapping or duplication,” he explained. 

In this context, the main challenge is not to lower requirements, but to make the system more efficient.

“The ability to implement public policies that help streamline permitting processes, without weakening sustainability, environmental, or community standards, is critical,” he said.

The pressure to shorten these timelines comes at a pivotal moment for the industry. The energy transition, electrification, and technological advancement have driven demand for critical minerals, creating a significant opportunity for producing countries across Latin America.

However, as Arriagada warns, that opportunity requires speed. “That opportunity exists now, and the challenge is the urgency with which we can implement transformations to effectively respond to this demand for critical minerals,” he stated.