Overview
- The Ministry of Energy and Mines is drafting a Ley Mape with a target to finish work by November 2026 to replace the decade‑old Registro Integral de Formalización Minera (Reinfo).
- Reinfo’s current extension expires on December 31, 2026 after multiple renewals that critics say have failed to produce broad formalization of artisanal miners.
- Minem proposes a differentiated process that lowers technical barriers for small producers so they are not required to meet the same studies and costs demanded of medium and large mines.
- The draft law could include tougher concession rules such as mandatory work plans and investment bonds that the state could execute and use to withdraw idle or speculative concessions.
- Political uncertainty remains because members of Congress’s Energy and Mines Commission have documented ties to informal‑mining interests and may push for another Reinfo extension while senators and the ministry negotiate how to transition current registrants.