Overview
- BHP and Lundin Mining submitted Vicuña to Argentina’s RIGI regime in December 2025 as a PEELP, a status that would require at least $2 billion in disbursements within two years of approval.
- The partners plan to file an integrated technical report this quarter to quantify measured, indicated, and inferred resources across the combined deposits.
- A final investment decision remains contingent on RIGI approval plus greater legal certainty tied to proposed changes to Argentina’s glacier protection law (Law 26.639).
- Provincial officials cite an indicative, multi‑stage investment potential of up to $15 billion over a multi‑decade life, a figure not formally confirmed by the companies.
- Operations already employ roughly 2,000 workers at high altitude, with a camp at about 4,000 meters and a long access route that slows during severe winter conditions.