Mining News - August 2026

Legislative News

 

Provincial Decree 1182, published in the Official Gazette of Neuquen on August 12, 2026
 

This Decree approves the Industrial and Productive Development Plan established under Provincial Lae 3503, known as Invest in Neuquen (Invierta Neuquén).

The Plan establishes a framework aimed at attracting and promoting productive investments within the province. It creates an incentives and benefits regime designed to provide greater predictability for investors, encourage the establishment of new projects, and strengthen the development of strategic activities, including mining.

Benefits available under the Plan include, among others:
 

1. exemption from provincial taxes;
2. access to financing under preferential terms; and
3. subsidies for the provision of services.

The Plan identifies mining as a strategic sector for diversifying Neuquen’s productive matrix, fostering new economic activities, and strengthening regional development. Accordingly, it prioritizes projects related to mineral exploration, geological studies, access infrastructure, initial mineral processing, and the generation of technical information aimed at reducing risks and encouraging private investment and exports.

 

Province of Jujuy Ministry of Mining Resolution 22-M/2026, published in the Official Gazette of Jujuy on August 19, 2026

This Resolution implements a digital filing procedure to submit Environmental Monitoring Reports for mining projects through the Remote Procedures Platform (TAD), integrated with the System for Electronic Management of Documents (GDE).

The Resolution provides that, as of September 1, 2026, holders of mining projects must submit such reports exclusively through the TAD and no longer in paper format. Further, project holder must, within 10 business after the Resolution is published, provide the full name, legal address, and tax identification number (CUIL) of the individual authorized to operate on the platform on their behalf.

 

Ministry of Education and Labor Resolution 164/2026, published in the Official Gazette of Catamarca on August 25, 2026

It establishes that mining companies whose mining operations are located in the Province of Catamarca must submit to the Secretariat of Labor under the Ministry of Education and Labor an updated report identifying all contractors and suppliers carrying out activities or providing services in connection with the relevant mining project and having personnel assigned to it. This report must be filed between the 1^st and 10^th day of each month.

The filing is mandatory and must be submitted as a sworn statement. Failure to comply may result in fines and other sanctions.

 

Joint Resolution 1/2026 of the Ministry of Regional Integration, Logistics, and Transportation and the Ministry of Mining, published in the Official Gazette of Catamarca on August 21, 2026

It creates the Provincial Mining Transportation Information and Safety Regime, which applies to the transportation of goods related to mining activities traveling along provincial and national corridors within the province’s jurisdiction.

The Regime involves creating the Mining Transportation Guide System (SGTM); a digital advanced information system through which mining concessionaires and operators must report certain transportation trips covered by the regulations. Transportation operations subject to the regime may only start once the corresponding Mining Transportation Guide has been issued through the system.

The Resolution also authorizes the Secretariat of Transport, in coordination with the Ministry of Mining, to establish operational safety requirements applicable to mining-related transportation.

The Resolution also states it will be possible to require security for certain mining transportation operations. The cases in which security services will be mandatory will be determined jointly by the Ministry of Regional Integration, Logistics, and Transportation and the Ministry of Mining, taking into account factors such as the transportation corridors used, the type of cargo, the characteristics of the operation, and other technical conditions that may be established.

The Resolution further creates the Provincial Registry of Security Service Providers, for informational purposes, and establishes a monitoring and enforcement regime applicable to service providers, transport operators, and mining companies involved in covered operations. The Resolution determines sanctions if the requirements relating to the guide system, reporting obligations, and operational safety standards are not complied with.

The implementation of the Regime will be phased and subject to regulations issued by the Transportation and the Mining Development Secretariats, which must establish the operational conditions to implement it.

 

Resolution 66/2026 of the Secretariat of Mining, published in the Argentine Official Gazette on August 19, 2026
 

This Resolution approves a new procedure that governs the Secretariat of Mining’s technical review of applications for VAT tax credit refunds under article 14 bis of Law 24196 and establishes that such applications must be processed through the Comprehensive Recovery System (SIR), implemented by the Argentine Tax Authority (ARCA).

The Resolution establishes the requirements, conditions, and supporting documentation that beneficiaries of the Mining Investment Regime must submit to access VAT refunds related to mineral exploration expenditures. Among other matters, it specifies the eligible activities, goods, and services; the eligibility requirements applicable to mining projects; and the technical documentation that must be submitted through both the SIR and the TAD.

The Resolution also states that the Argentine Directorate of Mining Investments will be responsible for issuing technical opinions regarding submitted applications. In doing so, it must verify the relationship between the declared expenditures, the exploration activities carried out, and the corresponding mining project.

The Resolution repeals article 2 of Resolution 83/2004 of the Secretariat of Mining, which listed goods and services eligible for the benefit, and replaces it with the criteria and categories established under the new regime.

The Resolution also establishes new requirements and criteria for accessing the VAT refund benefit. Accordingly, the tax credits for which a refund is sought must:
 

1. have been generated after the beneficiary’s registration under the Mining Investment Regime,
2. relate to periods during which the beneficiary has not been suspended from receiving the regime’s benefits, and
3. arise from imports or acquisitions of goods and services directly allocated to exploration activities carried out in a mining project the beneficiary owns.

The Resolution replaces the previously applicable exhaustive list of eligible goods and services with a framework based on evaluating the direct relationship between the declared expenditures, the exploration activities performed, and the relevant mining rights.

Finally, applications filed under the previous procedure will continue to be processed in accordance with the regulations in force at the time of filing, unless the applicant chooses to withdraw the pending application and submit a new one under the new regulatory framework.

 

Secretariat Of Mining Resolution 64/2026, published in the Argentine Official Gazette on August 12, 2026

This Resolution replaces the procedure governing the registration, updating, maintenance, and removal of beneficiaries under the Mining Investment Regime established through Resolution 30/2018. In doing so, it aligns the procedure with the amendments Decree 482/2026—which regulates Law 24196—introduced.

The Resolution also approves the Mining Investments Registry (RIM), created to register and identify regime beneficiaries.

The Resolution also establishes the technical and documentary information requirements that mining operators must comply with to apply for registration under the Regime. These requirements include identifying and describing each mining project, its stage of development, investment plan, relevant mining rights, and any other background information necessary to obtain and maintain the benefits provided under Law 24196.

The Resolution establishes registration and maintenance requirements for mining service providers, defining the covered activities and providing that providers must demonstrate every year that at least 60% of their revenues derive from the provision of mining services.

Likewise, it incorporates specific provisions governing the registration and record adjustment of single project entities (VPU) participating in the Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI), with the purpose of coordinating the application of both promotional regimes.

The Resolution regulates compliance with the environmental obligations established under article 23 of Law 24196 and sets forth the requirements for evidencing either the mandatory environmental insurance coverage or, alternatively, the establishment of the special environmental provision in the applicable regulations.

Finally, the Resolution repeals Resolutions 191/1996, 6/2019, 118/2020, and 195/2021, as well as certain provisions of Resolution 30/2018, replacing them with new registration and oversight framework established through this measure.

 

Mining in the media

 

“McEwen Copper Secures USD 240 Million to Advance Los Azules,” published by Panorama Minero on August 27, 2026

McEwen Copper secured a USD 240 million senior secured loan that will allow the company to continue advancing engineering activities and early-stage works at Los Azules, one of the main copper projects under development in the Province of San Juan.

The four-year financing was provided by a lending syndicate consisting of Sprott Natural Resource Investment Partners, which will provide USD 112 million; Rob McEwen, Chairman and principal shareholder of McEwen Inc, which will provide USD 85 million; and other lenders contributing a combined USD 43 million.

The proceeds will be used to advance the Los Azules project and for general corporate purposes, while McEwen Copper continues to structure a larger-scale financing package for the development of the project.

Argentine mining exports reached USD 4742 billion during the first half of 2026, which represents a 74.4% increase compared to the same period of the previous year and a record high for the January-June period. The sector also accounted for 9.7% of Argentina’s total exports.

The strongest growth was recorded in lithium exports, which totaled USD 1096 billion, which represents a 185% year-over-year increase. As a result, lithium accounted for 23.1% of total mining exports, the highest share ever recorded for a first half-year period. According to the publication, this performance was accompanied by the commencement of production at new mining projects in Argentina.

Metallic minerals continued to account for the largest share of mining exports, generating sales of USD 3559 billion and representing 75.1% of total mining exports. Within this segment, gold remained the leading export, with sales of USD 2905 billion, while silver exports totaled USD 562 million, both showing increases compared to the same period in 2025.

 

“Catamarca Reforms CAMYEN to Align It with Other State-Owned Mining Companies in Argentina,” published by Panorama Minero on August 6, 2026

The Province of Catamarca is promoting a reform of Catamarca Minera y Energetica (CAMYEN), pursuant to which the company would cease operating as a state-owned company (SE) and would become a single-shareholder corporation (SAU). The initiative has already received the approval of the provincial Senate and seeks to adapt the company’s structure to the current legal framework.

The proposed changes include a bill that provides that CAMYEN may transfer, assign, encumber, or otherwise dispose of the mining rights and mining properties it owns, provided that doing so is beneficial to the company. According to the provincial government, the reform would align CAMYEN with other state-owned mining companies in Argentina and provide it with additional tools to attract investment and promote the development of new projects.