Agua Rica / MARA — copper, gold, silver and molybdenum (Glencore)
Catamarca's largest copper project and the biggest pool of stalled capital in the province. MARA integrates the Agua Rica deposit (Andalgalá) with the plant, the concentrate pipeline and the infrastructure already built at Bajo de la Alumbrera, which stopped mining in 2018: reusing an existing plant is the project's best economics and, at the same time, its most contested environmental argument (the plan is to use Alumbrera's depleted pit as a tailings facility). Proven and probable reserves declared as of 30-Jun-2019 (100% basis): 1,105 Mt at 0.49% copper, 0.03% molybdenum, 0.21 g/t gold and 2.8 g/t silver; the 2025 RIGI release cites approximately 1,200 Mt at 0.47% copper, 0.20 g/t gold, 3.40 g/t silver and 0.03% molybdenum (measured and indicated, a different basis: do not add them up). Estimated mine life 27-28 years. Glencore declared more than 10,000 construction jobs and more than 2,500 operating jobs, but COMBINED with El Pachón: do not attribute them to Catamarca. While the big project waits, the restart of Alumbrera's remaining phases is moving ahead with a first equipment and maintenance contract of ~USD 250 M and a water concession cut back from 1,200 to 800 liters per second.
The projectwhat it is, the route, the owners, the works and the contractors
Who owns it
Minera Agua Rica LLC, Argentine Branch; 100% controlled by Glencore International AG since 31-Jul-2023 (previously Yamana Gold 56.25% / Glencore 25% / Newmont 18.75%). Pan American Silver retains a 0.75% NSR royalty on copper for the life of the mine. prob · Aug 18, 2025 ↗
The works, milestone by milestone
We have not built this project’s timeline. Dated milestones with their source close it.
Who already has a contract
The project has been filed under the RIGI and has not been approved yet. Construction awards come later.
How to supply itwhere to register, what they ask for and what they will buy
What it will need and has no supplier for yet
Mining contracting at scale and mine equipment
highIn the prefeasibility study's capital structure, the mine contractor is 21.6% of initial capex and mine equipment 10.1% (together, 40.1% with the rest of the mine line item, against barely 5.1% for plant and processing): it is the project's largest package and today it has no local bidder of the right size in the province. The timing play is local roots: the provincial registry requires a registered address two years old, so whoever settles in 2026 will be eligible exactly when the project builds.
Pit dewatering, mine water management and hydrogeological monitoring
highYear 1 of restarting Alumbrera's remaining phases is not mining: it is refurbishment, with pit dewatering and quarterly piezometric and hydrochemical monitoring imposed by the environmental resolution itself, over a concession cut from 1,200 to 800 liters per second. Demand written by the regulator, with an immediate 12-to-24-month window.
Pit geotechnics: slope stabilization and real-time monitoring
mediumThe resolution requires slope stabilization with real-time control technology. That is instrumentation and telemetry, not just civil works: radar and prisms, ground support and controlled blasting. No visible local supply.
Tailings dam reinforcement and audit
mediumReinforcing the tailings dam is an express condition of the resolution, and the existing dam only covers Agua Rica's first years of ore. High technical barrier (geotechnical engineering plus piezometric instrumentation) and no local supply in the province.
Maintenance ring around the heavy-fleet mother contract
highThe big contract is already awarded (new equipment and maintenance of 51 units for five years, ~USD 250 M, with the brand dealer). What that contract does NOT cover is the SME entry point: off-the-road tires, cutting tools, hoses and hydraulics, lubrication, industrial washing, field service and a component repair shop.
Environmental and social services written by the regulator itself
highThe resolution mandates MONTHLY external environmental audits, participatory monitoring with communities, hydrogeological modeling, water balance, water and carbon footprint, waste and effluent certificates, gender-perspective programs and internships. Each obligation is a recurring professional-services contract, not a one-off expense.
- How to become a supplier — We have not built this project’s entry map. It is our gap, not a prohibition: it closes by opening the provincial register and the operator’s single window.
- What it will buy, and when — We have not built this project’s phase → demand chain: its schedule still has to be crossed with the province’s catalog of markets and trades.
Get on board the takeoff
Tell us what you are looking for and we will reply. This is what we work on: proyectos RIGI, proveedores y datos verificados de Catamarca.
What it leaves in Catamarcajobs, works, taxes, promises and the outlook
The works that stay behind
The project has been filed under the RIGI and has not been approved yet. Permanent works are documented once construction starts.
What it already pays in taxes and royalties
The project has been filed under the RIGI and has not been approved yet. Royalties and production taxes begin with operation.
Who promised what
We have not surveyed the public promises about this project. A dated, verifiable commitment with its source closes them.
What could stall itrisks and how to track them
- What could stall it — We have not documented this project’s risks. An identifiable vector with its source closes them.
- How to tell whether it is advancing — We have not defined this project’s indicators: what observable fact marks its progress still has to be identified.
How we verified thisthe act, the gaps and the sources
The RIGI act, in detail
The project has been filed under the RIGI and has not been approved yet. The instrument is published in the Boletín Oficial once the Committee approves the accession.
What we could not confirm
There are 1 in this project. Each says why it could not be confirmed and what it would take to close it.
H-01When construction starts and when operation begins+
The schedule of a RIGI project is read in the recitals of its admission resolution, and this project has no resolution published in the Official Gazette yet: it has been filed or announced, not approved. What circulates in the press are tentative company dates, with no act fixing them.
