Communities

March 15, 1978 was a historic day for the port town of Huasco and its people. On that Wednesday, Compañía Minera del Pacífico’s (CMP) Guacolda II Pellet Plant and Port was officially inaugurated, becoming the main source of jobs and economic growth in the area.

The construction of the Pellet Plant, catalogued at the time as the second largest of its kind in the world, involved the participation of more than three thousand workers, Americans, Japanese and, mostly, Chileans, who came up with ingenious initiatives to assemble the Dantesque structures.

Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP) announced the appointment of three new managers to its executive committee, which as of March 1, 2023 will be made up of five women and five men. In this way, the company became the first mining company to achieve gender parity in executive positions, increasing the participation of women in these roles from 40% to 50%.

The decision is part of the company’s sustainability strategy, aligned in turn with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 agenda, and reinforces the work deployed in recent years to create a different kind of mining linked to the territory and its people in the regions of Atacama and Coquimbo.

The magic of Christmas, the emotion of experiencing a unique trip and the memories of yesteryear were the protagonists in the return of the Christmas Train, a day organized Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP) and Ferronor in which more than 950 people participated: neighbors of the communities, workers of the aforementioned companies and their families.

The trip, which took place on Wednesday, December 21, included six trips through the towns of Vallenar, Freirina and Huasco, in two specially equipped carriages. On each of the routes, passengers had the opportunity to enjoy a Christmas play, sing Christmas carols and observe the landscapes of the province from another perspective, mixing the enthusiasm of a new adventure for children, and the awakening of past experiences among adults.

With the aim of promoting education as a key tool for the development of the territories, Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP), in collaboration with the company Finning, launched the Educational Robotics Workshop aimed at 7th and 8th grade girls from different schools in the provinces of Huasco and Elqui, in the regions of Atacama and Coquimbo, respectively.

The objective of the dynamics was to enhance skills and knowledge in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), so that from an early age they can consider new areas of professional development in the main productive industries of the country, without gender bias.

Since 2017, the Catholic University of the North, Coquimbo branch, has been carrying out its Social Pre-university, through its Pastoral and Christian Culture department, a project born from the students of the house of studies so that young people in fourth grade and graduates can opt for a free pre-university in order to prepare for the Access to Higher Education Test (PAES).

Under this slogan, in the framework of the launching of its 2023 version, a collaboration agreement was signed between the Universidad Católica del Norte and Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP), which will sponsor the initiative, benefiting 50 young people from the Coquimbo district, also providing support in the process through motivational talks professionals from the company.

The entrepreneurs also received advice and training to be able to fully develop their businesses.
The initiative has benefited more than 164 businesses in three years.
January 20, 2023. Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP), Aguas Cap, the Municipality of Caldera and Desafío Levantemos Chile delivered food carts to 24 entrepreneurs in the community as part of the “Caldera Impulsa III” initiative. The program lasted six months, during which the entrepreneurs received training in formalization, finances, social networks and personalized advice, ending with the delivery of the carts so that they can start the summer season developing and strengthening their businesses in the area.

Compañía Minera del Pacífico announced the award of 69 new scholarships to promote education for students in the Atacama and Coquimbo regions, specifically in the Copiapó, Huasco and Elqui valleys. This benefit bears the name of Jaime Charles, in honor of the former general manager of Grupo CAP, of which CMP is a subsidiary, who dedicated a large part of his life to promoting educational development in the communities neighboring the company’s operations.

Since the implementation of the scholarship program in 2012, a total of 200 young people with outstanding academic performance have benefited from the program. In this way, as a reward for their personal effort, they are given the opportunity to pursue higher studies, either professional or technical, in institutions recognized the Ministry of Education. In addition, the subsidy provided by the mining company is compatible with other types of public and private financial aid, and is valid for the entire period of education, with a limit of up to 24 years of age.

The initiative contemplates an investment of close to US$4.9 million for the development of the sector over a period of four years.
Caldera, April 2023 – With the aim of promoting shared growth between the artisanal fishing sector of Caldera and Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP), a collaboration agreement was signed between organizations of the commune and CMP, which renews and expands the work that has been carried out jointly since 2007. This instrument will allow the promotion of actions focused on the socio-productive value chain of the entities, consolidating their integral development through a permanent and long-term relationship.

Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP), in direct line with its purpose, seeks to promote gender equity, highlight the role of women and contribute to their sustainable development in the territory. In this sense, the company has joined the initiative Mesa de la Mujer de la Pesca Artesanal y Actividades Conexas de Atacama, which seeks to consolidate its leadership in the region and provide opportunities to promote their work. All this in conjunction with the regional government and the respective communal governments.

Under this slogan, two fruitful meetings have been held to date. In the first, held in Caldera, the more than 50 participants shared their personal and collective experiences, analyzing and defining the elements that should be considered in the public management of the corresponding agencies. In addition, five round tables were formed during the day, based on key issues in the planning of support programs and instruments: health; education and training; habitability, connectivity and basic services; security; and productive development.