Gualcamayo — Deep Carbonates (DCP): gold and silver (Minas Argentinas)
Reactivation and deepening of the Gualcamayo gold and silver mine (San Juan): the 'Deep Carbonates (DCP)' project extends the mine life toward the sulfide orebody at depth. Company/press figures (probable, outside the resolution): ~4,500 projected direct and indirect jobs; the operator is preparing a 'second RIGI' (~USD 1,500 M) to move from a mine to a mining district.
The projectwhat it is, the route, the owners, the works and the contractors
Who owns it
Minas Argentinas S.A. Dedicated Branch RIGI I-Nuevo Gualcamayo (CUIT 30-71915462-6); controlling group Eris Resource Company / AISA per press reports verif Jan 15, 2026 ↗
The works, milestone by milestone
An infrastructure works plan of more than USD 15 million and a nine-month schedule begins, to prepare the site for the future development of Carbonatos Profundos: expansion of the mineral processing facilities and the reagent stores, earthworks, geomembrane laying and camp expansion. The main civil works were awarded by tender to the San Juan company Mapal-Sigma. It adds some 230 jobs, on top of a headcount of 327 direct employees and 437 contractor workers at the close of July, bringing the mine close to 1,000 people involved.
Ley provincial 2827-M on Local Mining Development comes into force: from now on, only contracts with suppliers registered and holding a valid certificate in the RE.PRO.MIN count towards the miner's local procurement target. This mine's community of influence is the Jáchal department, the level at which the law requires 24 months of prior establishment to qualify.
The controlling group announces in Madrid, before the president, that it is considering filing a second application to the regime for USD 1,500 million — the G50 Programme — to turn the mine into a district: unlocking the potential of the concession's 38,000 hectares, with a short tranche of 24 to 36 months to assess remaining resources and a long one for new sectors, including those with potential for industrial metals. The deposit declares 7.1 million ounces of gold in resources and 4.9 million in certified reserves.
Resolución 6/2026 of the Ministerio de Economía is published, approving accession: it is the tenth project in the regime. It declares USD 519,647,635 of total countable investment, with USD 46.7 million in the first year and USD 43.9 million in the second, a deadline of 31 December 2028, and a local procurement commitment of 69 % on the amount allocated to suppliers.
Accession date to the regime: 27 November 2025. A dedicated branch accedes, Minas Argentinas S.A. Sucursal Dedicada RIGI I-Nuevo Gualcamayo, domiciled in the city of San Juan. The approved object covers three things: exploring the Gualcamayo 1 and 2 concessions, assessing the feasibility of the Carbonatos Profundos gold and silver deposit, and building, commissioning and operating the treatment plant.
Who already has a contract
Awarded after a tender process. Verbatim from the source: «Luego de un proceso de licitación, la empresa sanjuanina Mapal-Sigma fue adjudicada para ejecutar las principales obras civiles» — after a tender process, the San Juan company Mapal-Sigma was awarded the main civil works. Alongside it the operator brings in a local surveying firm and a quality control firm, which the source does not name.
It is among the companies providing services to Gualcamayo's operation. Its size is measured in another source in the repository: 500 workers, 18 contracts in San Juan and other provinces, 300 suppliers of its own all from the province, and capacity for 6,000 meals a day, which it plans to expand to 21,000 for the Vicuña contract.
It is among the companies providing services to Gualcamayo's operation, according to the list the operator published in August 2026.
It is among the companies providing services to Gualcamayo's operation, according to the list the operator published in August 2026.
It is among the companies providing services to Gualcamayo's operation, according to the list the operator published in August 2026.
It is among the companies providing services to Gualcamayo's operation, according to the list the operator published in August 2026.
It is among the companies providing services to Gualcamayo's operation, according to the list the operator published in August 2026.
It is among the companies providing services to Gualcamayo's operation, according to the list the operator published in August 2026.
It is among the companies providing services to Gualcamayo's operation, according to the list the operator published in August 2026.
It is among the companies providing services to Gualcamayo's operation, according to the list the operator published in August 2026.
It is among the companies providing services to Gualcamayo's operation, according to the list the operator published in August 2026.
It is among the companies providing services to Gualcamayo's operation, according to the list the operator published in August 2026.
It is among the companies providing services to Gualcamayo's operation, according to the list the operator published in August 2026.
How to supply itwhere to register, what they ask for and what they will buy
How to become a supplier
Minas Argentinas S.A. Sucursal Dedicada RIGI I-Nuevo Gualcamayo (MASA-SD), CUIT 30-71915462-6, domiciled at Av. Ignacio de la Roza Oeste 2613, Departamento Capital, San Juan. It is a dedicated branch: the company split itself for the regime, so the legal entity to invoice is not the one running the historic operation.
Purchasing is decided in San Juan rather than elsewhere: the regime's branch is domiciled in the provincial capital, the large civil works package went out to tender and a San Juan company won it, and the operator states that around 70 % of its purchases and contracts are made within the province, with declared priority for the Jáchal department. The company publishes whose door to knock on: the procurement superintendent, Esteban Cortínez, who by its own description «gestiona la cadena de abastecimiento y la relación con proveedores, priorizando el desarrollo de proveedores locales», and the projects manager, Marcelo Ruiz, who leads the execution of Carbonatos Profundos and the associated infrastructure. The controlling group is AISA Group.
The registration routes that exist today, with their status. The one that is up and running is not always the official one.
RE.PRO.MIN. — Registro Provincial de Proveedores Mineros
being builtIt is the registry created by Ley 2827-M and the only one the law recognises: without a valid certificate there, the purchase does not count towards the miner's local procurement target. ⚠️ It is not operational yet.
The operator's own tender for civil works
up and running todayIt exists and it worked: the civil works package of the August 2026 infrastructure plan was awarded «luego de un proceso de licitación» to a San Juan company, and in the same move the operator brought in a local surveying firm and a quality control firm. It is the most concrete door this project has.
Calidad en Comunidad — the provincial ISO 9001 certification programme
up and running todayA programme run by the provincial ministries of Minería and Producción so that SMEs in Iglesia, Jáchal and Calingasta can certify the quality management standard. In August 2026 it entered the implementation stage with some 24 companies: Universidad Católica de Cuyo provides the technical support and the certification body Lenor audits those that qualify. It runs until December 2026, and the Ministerio de Minería's director of Sustainable Development clarifies that «la certificación no será automática, sólo accederán a ella aquellas empresas que logren superar las auditorías correspondientes» — certification will not be automatic, only firms that pass the corresponding audits will obtain it.
What they ask you for
The entry cost that is in no law and has to go into the price: the operator requires by CONTRACTUAL CLAUSE that its contractors allocate between 1 % and 5 % of the contract's billing to community development programmes in Jáchal. prob Aug 18, 2026 ↗Verbatim from the article that defines it: «las empresas contratistas deben destinar entre el 1% y el 5% de la facturación de sus contratos a programas de desarrollo comunitario en Jáchal», and the company's communications manager describes it as «una política interna de la empresa que ya está incorporada como una cláusula contractual» — an internal company policy already written in as a contractual clause. The funds go to education, school infrastructure, technical assistance and inputs for productive ventures, and training, and the scheme includes compliance with the company's safety and environmental standards.
Three certified management standards under which the operation runs and with which it works jointly with its contractors: ISO 14001 (environmental management), ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety) and ISO 26000 (social responsibility). prob Aug 14, 2026 ↗Verbatim: the community development, occupational health and safety and environmental management activities «se desarrollan bajo las normas ISO 14001, ISO 45001 e ISO 26000». The operator states that it works in a coordinated way with its contractors on those three fronts.
Local roots, so that the purchase counts for the miner: an authorised operating establishment and legal and tax domicile in the province, plus at least 51 % of the share capital held by people from San Juan, and employing no less than 80 % local workers on the average annual payroll. verif Jul 2, 2026 ↗Article 12 of Ley 2827-M, verbatim: «Cumplir con al menos uno (1) de los siguientes criterios de arraigo local: a) Para Sociedades Comerciales, tener como titulares, al menos el CINCUENTA Y UNO POR CIENTO (51 %) del capital social, o de la participación que otorga los votos necesarios para formar la voluntad social»; and «Emplear trabajadores locales… en un porcentaje no inferior al ochenta por ciento (80 %) del total de la nómina promedio anual». The required seniority is 24 months to qualify as a supplier of the community of influence — here, Jáchal — and 12 months for the rest of the province. Article 14 opens the route of a joint venture with a minimum 25 % local stake.
What this project committed to before the national state: 69 % of the investment amount allocated to paying suppliers, goods and infrastructure works goes to local suppliers, more than three times the regime's 20 % floor. verif Jan 15, 2026 ↗Verbatim from the recital of the accession resolution: «el sesenta y nueve por ciento (69 %) de la totalidad del monto de inversión destinado al pago de proveedores, bienes y obras de infraestructura, durante las etapas de construcción y operación, corresponde a proveedores locales» — «porcentaje que excede el veinte por ciento (20%) exigido por la normativa vigente».
The order you get in by
Work out which of the two projects you are after: the USD 15 million infrastructure plan running from August 2026 for nine months, or the Carbonatos Profundos treatment plant, which is the object of the regime and is still at feasibility stage. the first closes around mid-2027; the second has no published start date
Register with the RE.PRO.MIN. once it opens: without a valid certificate, the purchase does not count towards the miner's local procurement target. the registry is not operational yet
Build into the price the contribution to the Community Development Programmes, between 1 % and 5 % of monthly billing: it is the buyer's condition rather than the law's, and whoever leaves it out bids wrong. monthly, for the life of the contract
If the company is from Jáchal, check the 24-month establishment requirement, which is what the law demands to qualify as a supplier of the community of influence and what the operator declares it prioritises. 24 months of prior residence; it cannot be shortened
For the operation's service categories — hospitality, transport, security, drilling, health and construction — go through the list of contractors already inside: they are the real door, because the small supplier sells to them before selling to the mine. ongoing, the mine is in operation
What it will buy, and when
It was admitted on Nov 27, 2025 with a deadline of Dec 31, 2028 to certify the minimum investment: exploration, feasibility and plant construction have to fit into those three years, so buying is compressed by the resolution and not by the geology of the deep deposit.
The mine is not idle: it produces residual gold through leaching while it builds Carbonatos Profundos. That opens a replacement and services market on the existing plant today, running in parallel with the one for the new works and with another buyer inside the same company.
Each phase buys different things at different times. The links lead to the matching market or trade.
Exploration, feasibility and construction of the processing plant
under wayThe approved purpose is the exploration of the Gualcamayo 1 and 2 concessions, the feasibility of the Carbonatos Profundos deposit and «the construction, start-up and operation of the processing plant». Investment plan: USD 46,741,254 in the first year and USD 43,858,696 in the second, counted from the admission date. ⚠️ The act does not declare a start-up date.
What it will need and has no supplier for yet
Deep drilling and underground mine development (deep carbonate mining)
mediumMoving from the depleted open pit to the deep orebody demands specialized drilling, ground support and underground development, different from the historical open-pit work.
Assembly and repowering of the mineral processing plant
mediumBuilding and commissioning the plant for the new orebody (investment deadline 31-Dec-2028) concentrates electromechanical works capex.
We cross what your company does against the projects we track and tell you which ones it fits into, through which door and who it competes against. Two pages, with the evidence behind them.
Analyze my companyWhat it leaves in San Juanjobs, works, taxes, promises and the outlook
How many jobs it creates
230 new jobs for the nine months of the infrastructure works that started in August 2026, on top of a workforce of 327 direct workers and 437 contractor workers ⚠️ this is employment for the PRELIMINARY infrastructure works (accommodation, roads, power), not for the construction of the Carbonatos Profundos plant, which nobody publishes prob Aug 14, 2026 ↗
The works that stay behind
The infrastructure that stays standing once the works end, with its size and its source.
New camp sector at the mine, with accommodation modules for four people and private bathroom, plus the relocation of the sports facilities
SocialThe mine itself and its contractors: it is the accommodation capacity that supports the jump in headcount from some 760 people to close to 1,000, and it stays in place for the construction stage of Carbonatos Profundos.
Verbatim: «la construcción de un nuevo sector de campamento compuesto por más de 38 módulos habitacionales, cada uno con capacidad para cuatro personas y baño privado» — a new camp sector of more than 38 accommodation modules, each for four people with a private bathroom. The programme also includes «el traslado de las instalaciones deportivas y un refuerzo temporal de los servicios de transporte y alimentación».
Expansion of the mineral processing facilities and the reagent stores, with earthworks and geomembrane laying
ProductiveThe mine's operation: it is the expanded plant on which the future Carbonatos Profundos project is mounted, which is why the company calls it site preparation.
Verbatim: the works «contemplan la ampliación de las instalaciones de beneficio de minerales y de los almacenes de reactivos, movimientos de suelo, despliegue de geomembranas y ampliación de los campamentos», with an estimated duration of nine months and an investment of more than USD 15 million. The general manager frames them as «un avance concreto en los planes de inversión anunciados bajo el RIGI» that allows «anticipar la preparación de nuevas áreas e infraestructura necesarias para el futuro desarrollo del proyecto Carbonatos Profundos».
Mining access road from Ruta Nacional 40 to the camp, along the Gualcamayo river valley
RoadsThe Gualcamayo river valley, in the Jáchal department: it is the only access to the camp and it already exists, so what the project adds is maintenance and capacity, not a new alignment.
Verbatim from the accession resolution: «el acceso principal al campamento se inicia en la Ruta Nacional 40 por el camino minero que conduce al Valle del río Gualcamayo, distante quince kilómetros (15 km) aproximadamente» — the main access to the camp starts at Ruta Nacional 40 along the mining road to the Gualcamayo river valley, about fifteen kilometres away. The same resolution places the project «en la región de Gualcamayo, a doscientos setenta kilómetros (270 km) al norte de la capital provincial».
Photovoltaic park on the deposit's land, with the upgrading of the power line and the Huaco transformer station and a link to the national interconnected system
Powerin the first stage and 800 MW as the target over a decade; the projected link is 500 kV
First the mine and then the country: the company states that with the upgrade and the link it could sell its output anywhere on the system. The Huaco transformer station is provincial infrastructure, not the deposit's.
Verbatim from the operator's own site: «En una primera etapa se instalarán paneles solares para producir 50 MW. A lo largo de la siguiente década, la construcción crecerá de manera escalonada hasta alcanzar los 800 MW. Repotenciando la línea eléctrica y la Estación Transformadora Huaco —y construyendo o participando en un enlace en 500 kV que complete la vinculación con el Sistema Interconectado Nacional— podremos vender la producción a cualquier parte del país» — a first 50 MW stage growing in steps to 800 MW over the decade, with the power line and the Huaco transformer station upgraded and a 500 kV link that would allow selling output anywhere in the country.
- What it already pays in taxes and royalties — We have not broken down this project’s local fiscal contribution: the primary source that sets each item still has to be opened, and an act of the State is not published on press backing.
- 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
EX-2025-61508153- -APN-SCEYM#MEC verif Jan 15, 2026 ↗
Nov 27, 2025 verif Jan 15, 2026 ↗
The act’s articles, in detail
4 facts on the commitment
69 % of the amount earmarked for suppliers that goes to LOCAL suppliers verif Jan 15, 2026 ↗
The entire investment amount earmarked for paying suppliers, goods and infrastructure works, during the construction and operation stages verif Jan 15, 2026 ↗
31 December 2028 to complete the minimum investment amount. verif Dec 31, 2028 ↗
Minas Argentinas S.A. Sucursal Dedicada RIGI I-Nuevo Gualcamayo (MASA-SD), tax ID 30-71915462-6, registered at Av. Ignacio de la Roza Oeste 2613, Capital department, San Juan. verif Jan 15, 2026 ↗
What we could not confirm
There are 5 in this project. Each says why it could not be confirmed and what it would take to close it.
H-01The workforce for the construction of the Carbonatos Profundos plant and for its operation+
What is published, and loaded here, is the previous step: 230 jobs for nine months of infrastructure works. For the big stage —the construction of the plant— there is no figure in an accessible source, and Resolución 6/2026 does not publish employment.
H-02The amount of the civil works contract and who competed for it+
The operator reported that there was a tender and who won it, but published neither the awarded amount nor the list of bidders. It is a company's private tender, so there is no gazette where it has to appear.
H-03Which service each of the twelve companies the operator listed actually provides+
The source publishes the names as a block and the categories as a block — hospitality, transport, security, drilling, health and construction — without crossing them. Assigning a category to each name by resemblance would be inventing it. The only one with a category from its own source is Caterwest, through an earlier article already recorded in the repository.
H-04How the community contribution percentage is set within the 1 % to 5 % band+
The source publishes the names as a block and the categories as a block — hospitality, transport, security, drilling, health and construction — without crossing them. Assigning a category to each name by resemblance would be inventing it. The only one with a documented category is Caterwest, and what supports it is an earlier article about its catering capacity, not this list.
H-05How many hectares the project has: 7,128 or 38,000+
Two corporate sources give figures that do not match. The consultancy doing the engineering publishes a project area of 7,128 hectares; the controlling group speaks of 38,000 hectares of concession when announcing the second filing. They may be two different things — the disturbed area versus the total concession — but neither of them says so, and without that the larger number cannot be published as the project's area.
- 10+ years in data science for clients across Europe and the Americas
- Certified in AI governance (ISO/IEC 42001)
- Machine Learning (Google Cloud)
- Registered expert with the European Commission