AHK Chile

The German-Chilean Mining Forum, which takes place alternately in Chile and Germany, celebrated its 13th edition in November 2024. This central event within the framework of the bilateral cooperation agreement on mining and mineral resources was organised by AHK Chile, the German-Chilean Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Under the motto “Multidimensional Cooperation for Responsible Mining and Resilient Supply Chains”, the forum highlighted the variety of opportunities for cooperation at different levels and areas. The aim was to promote an ecosystem for responsible and sustainable mining in both Chile and Germany.

Cornelia Sonnenberg, Managing Director of AHK Chile, opened the event with a speech that emphasised the deep friendship and productive cooperation between the two countries. Participants included Suina Chahuán, Chilean Secretary of State for Mining, and Susanne Szech-Koundouros, Deputy Director of the Department of Raw Materials Policy, Circular Economy, Resource Conservation and Environmental Law at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action (BMWK) (Figure 1). The latter emphasised the strategic importance of this bilateral cooperation in her speech.

“The annual forum serves as a platform for discussing key issues relating to mining and raw materials. In doing so, we address relevant issues that concern us as an institution and create space for new partnerships. German industry has traditionally been an important provider of clean technologies for Chilean mining, and this will continue to be the case in the future. But we cannot ignore the other aspects: the joint research and development of new technologies, the challenge of building transparent and resilient supply chains and the opportunities to attract investment for projects of different scales. All these important topics were discussed at the forum and we are looking forward to seeing them realised in concrete projects,” emphasised Iris Wunderlich, Project Manager for Mining and Sustainability at AHK Chile.

Susanne Szech-Koundouros added: “Germany and Chile jointly stand for an economic policy that combines transformation and climate compatibility. As strategic partners, we not only share values, but also show that sustainable raw material extraction and processing is possible – based on responsible practices and compliance with strict ESG standards.”

The event began with the first panel “Strategic Knowledge Clusters for Resilient Supply Chains”. Participants included Prof. Christoph Helbig from the Bavarian Centre for Battery Technology (BayBatt) at the University of Bayreuth, Arlene Ebensperger from the Chilean Ministry of Mining, Michael Schmidt from the German Mineral Resources Agency (DERA) and Tore Hartmann from the German company GEA. Together with Roberto Parra, Professor at the Department of Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Concepción, they held a discussion on cooperation in applied research as part of the national lithium strategy. The session was moderated by Pamela Valdivia, Head of the State of Bavaria’s Representative Office for South America.

In a second block, this time moderated by Maritza Henríquez, Director of Women in Mining Chile, the focus was on strategic raw materials and the opportunities that exist in Chile, both in large-scale mining and on a small and medium-sized scale. In this context, copper and gold mining in various regions of the country and the progress of the rare earth project were discussed. Experts included Fernando Gattas, representing SONAMI, who spoke about small and medium-scale gold mining, and José Augusto Palma, Vice President of Aclara Resources, who presented the rare earths project in the municipality of Penco, where these important elements for future technologies are to be extracted in a sustainable manner. On the European side, Jennifer Howe from Aurubis, a leading buyer of raw materials in Chile and the world’s largest copper recycler, took part.

A final panel delved deeper into innovation and technology, with German companies RWE Technology International, represented by Max Pingen, Innomotics, represented by Joel Sierra and Francisco Barrientos, and MAN Bus & Truck, represented by Richard Frenzen, addressing various aspects of sustainable mining, in which the digitalisation and automation of equipment, the electrification of mines and the use of alternative fuels play a key role.

The event ended with an official invitation from the German company MAN to the NGO Women in Mining to actively participate in the company’s roadshow through Chile. Test drives and training sessions will be organised in various mining regions in the north of the country, underlining the company’s commitment to promoting female talent in the industry. (AHK Chile/Si.)

 

On 15th September 2023, Mark Heinzel, Head of Division North and Latin America of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), welcomed the more than 150 participants of this annual forum organized by the Competence Center Mining and Mineral Resources of AHK Chile at the Haus der Deutschen Wirtschaft in Berlin/Germany (Figure 1).

This time, the keynote speakers were Susanne Szech-Koundouros, sub-department head of raw materials policy, circular economy, resource protection and environmental law at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK), Magdalena Atria, Ambassador of the Republic of Chile to Germany, and Wolfgang Niedermark, board member of the Federation of German Industries (BDI).

After their opening speeches, the three keynote speakers participated in a conversation panel that addressed the question of whether we are currently at a geopolitical turning point for German-Chilean cooperation in the raw materials sector. Cornelia Sonnenberg, General Manager of AHK Chile, moderated the panel.

Other panels and presentations covered topics such the German import and export interests, environmental protection in mining and sustainable supply chains. On behalf of Chile speakers and representatives from Antofagasta Minerals, SQM, Aclara Mining and MIRS Robotics participated. From Germany there were expert contributions on behalf of Aurubis, AMG Lithium, Geiger Edelmetalle, Deutsche Rohstoffagentur/BGR, WISMUT.

Also present was a Chilean mining delegation consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Mining, Codelco, Corporación Alta Ley, APRIMIN, Autoterm, Baker McKenzie, Bosch, CAP, Glencore and RED INVECA – including four experts from Women in Mining Chile. During their stay, in addition to Berlin, they visited Düsseldorf, Hambach, Hamburg and Salzgitter, where they toured the facilities of SMS Group, ThyssenKrupp, RWE, Aurubis and PowerCo (Volkswagen Group).

The long-standing close cooperation between the two countries, particularly with regard to technology transfer and the exchange of experience and best practices with the aim of making mining as environmentally friendly as possible, was consolidated in 2013 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding.

Since then, AHK Chile has hosted the Competence Center Mining and Raw Materials, a platform that further develops this strategic partnership and acts as a bridge to connect the experience, technologies and innovations of both countries.

The AHK Chile team organized both the forum and the delegation as part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of this bilateral mining cooperation, which was deepened at the beginning of 2023 to include the aspect of the circular economy during the official visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Santiago. (AHK Chile/Si.)

Germany’s Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz travelled to Chile at the end of January 2023 accompanied by an economic policy delegation for an official visit (Figure 1). “In the global competition of the 21st century, it is not enough to simply transport raw materials away – without consideration for the environment, without reasonable working conditions, without creating value locally,” Scholz explained in Santiago.

The Chilean Ministry of Mines and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) concluded a German-Chilean Partnership for mining, raw materials and the circular economy. This agreement replaces a memorandum of understanding signed ten years ago in these key areas for achieving climate goals and transforming industry. Now the cooperation between the two countries is to be further expanded.

The now traditional German-Chilean Forum on Mining and Mineral Resources, which is organised alternately in one of the two countries and coordinated by the AHK Chile, was established as an annual meeting in the agreement. In addition, special place is given to cooperation on critical minerals and environmental aspects for 21st century mining.

As the first concrete initiative in this context, the Chilean state copper company Codelco and the German company Aurubis signed a cooperation agreement in the field of environmental technology and for the modernisation of copper production in Chile. (AHK Chile/Si.)

An agreement was signed during the German-Chilean Business Forum 2018 to facilitate innovation and technology transfer between providers in Germany and customers in Chile. AHK Chile and Fundación Chile’s innovation program “Expande” aim to provide a point of contact for commercial exchanges (Figure 1).

To this end, AHK Chile will provide a network of contacts with the German industry and technology clusters in order to promote the development of new technologies. With its technological capacities in situ in Chile and the mining companies participating in the program, Expande will identify problems and seek out local partners for implementing or transferring technologies.

For Enrique Molina, Executive Director of Expande, “creating a link between Chilean and German companies is very important if the transition to Industry 4.0 is to succeed. As a world leader in innovation and technological development, Germany is a strategic partner for Chile, especially when it comes to the mining industry.”

Cornelia Sonnenberg, Managing Director at AHK Chile, explains that “this cooperation agreement aims to transform players from both countries into strategic partners, with a focus on innovation.” The initial results of this agreement will be presented at the next meeting of the German-Chilean Mining Forum. (AHK Chile/Si)

Every two years Chile hosts the Exponor international trade fair in the mining region’s capital, Antofagasta. This year from the 15th to 19th May, more than 1,000 exhibitors from 30 countries received over 40,000 visitors.

The German-Chilean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Chile) participated for the 3rd time with a joint German pavilion, presenting 35 exhibitors: 17 from Germany and 18 AHK Chile associates and Chilean representatives of German companies, amongst them 26 first-time exhibitors. The joint German stand (Figure 1) was the second biggest country pavilion after the United States, Exponor 2017’s “Guest Nation”.

For the first time the trade fair included a “German Day”, when twelve German companies had a chance to showcase their products and services. AHK Chile, EnergieAgentur.NRW, the Antofagasta Industrial Association (AIA) and VDMA Mining organised the event, giving German corporations an opportunity to offer their products, technologies and services as interesting solutions for the challenges that the Chilean mining industry is currently facing (Figure 2).

The innovations that were promoted include efficiency-enhancing conveyor systems and components with a long service life, systems to integrate big data for process optimization, automated sampling for fast mineral content identification, technologies to analyse the elements contained in leach heaps, optimized spare part supply to avoid downtime, and automation solutions.

A networking session where the German companies established direct contact with potential Chilean business partners proved to be a particular highlight. The day was crowned with a visit to the world’s largest open-pit mine, Chuquicamata (Figure 3).

“The fair provided great insights into the Chilean mining market and opportunities to establish more contacts. Taken as a whole, the outcome of our participation is promising”, commented Joachim Käufler, who represents the Engineering and General Technical Planning company Synlift in Potsdam – which, together with project development firm Chile Contact, is designing a solar-powered desalination plant to be built in the Atacama desert.

Christian Rogaß, Deutsches GeoFor-schungs-Zentrum Potsdam (GFZ), summed up his experience: “We are very satisfied, because we have found new customers and inspiration”.

Thomas Barth attended in representation of APC Analytics, a company that develops and manufactures sampling, preparation, and analysis devices for industrial applications. He was also very happy to have made many valuable contacts with other attendees, including equipment manufacturers, mine process designers, and mine operators. The majority of the exhibitors have expressed their intention to repeat their participation, at the Exponor 2019 Joint German Stand. (Camchal/Si.)

Die wirtschaftlichen Kompetenzen in der Lausitz liegen vor allem im Bereich der Rohstoffförderung, des damit verbundenen Anlagenbaus, der Lade- und Transporttechnik, der Automatisierungstechnik sowie diverser weiterer damit verbundener Dienstleistungen und Zulieferungen sowie der Energieerzeugung aus der Braunkohle. Derzeit wird die Zukunft der Lausitz vor dem Hintergrund der Energiewende intensiv diskutiert. Neben der Suche nach Lösungen für die Zeit nach dem Bergbau gilt es jedoch auch, die Potenziale und Geschäftsmöglichkeiten relevanter Zielmärkte im Ausland noch intensiver als bisher auszuloten.

Diskutieren Sie mit zahlreichen Fachleuten aus den Bereichen Auslandsbergbau und Rohstoffe Rahmenbedingungen, aktuelle Projekte und Geschäftsmöglichkeiten auf den internationalen Rohstoffmärkten Chile, Peru, Brasilien, Australien, Kanada und südliches Afrika. Nutzen Sie die Chance, mit Experten aus den genannten Zielmärkten in Kontakt zu treten, um Hintergrundinformationen zu wirtschaftlichen und politischen Rahmenbedingungen für ein Engagement im Bergbausektor der genannten Länder zu erhalten und informieren Sie sich über die Unterstützungsangebote und Leistungen der German Mining Network Initiative.

Further information

Mining was one of the main topics of the VI. German-Chilean Business Summit “On the way to industry 4.0”, which took place on the 24th of November 2015 in Santiago. The conference was organized by the German-Chilean Chamber of Commerce and Industry and counted with the federal state North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) as partner. The event attracted more than 500 participants. Prime Minister Hannelore Kraft and Economy Minister Garrelt Duin lead a delegation from NRW with more than 50 representatives providing expertise in politics, industry and research.

The IV. German-Chilean Forum for Mining and Mineral Resources, which was held in the context of the German-Chilean Business Summit, was opened by the Chilean Mining Minister Aurora Williams. “The aim of Chile is to reach the expansion of the Mining sector with added value and in harmony with the environment as well as society“, she states. The technological development of the German mining sector could serve as a model for Chile.

The main topic of discussion was the scarcity of water in the Chilean mining sector. The successful extension of desalination plants brings about an increase in production costs. Mauro Valdés, the president of the “Alta Ley”-programme, designed to develop the national roadmap of the Chilean mining industry, outlined the challenges for the sector as follows: “In order to maintain and extend our market presence we have to provide a qualitative jump from ‘copper to knowledge’.”

For many years the commercial relationship between Chile and Germany has been excellent. German companies position themselves successfully as world-class suppliers for the Chilean mining sector. The mining industry is not only relevant for Germany as a market but also stands out through its natural resources and thus qualifies as a raw material supplier for the German high-tech industry. Therefore in 2013 the German government signed a cooperation agreement with Chile in order to elevate the German-Chilean relationship in the mining sector to a strategic level and hence work on topics of mutual interest beyond commercial ambition of both parties. In order to facilitate a regular exchange of knowledge, the German-Chilean Forum for Mining and Mineral Resources was convoked as a bilateral annual platform. The Forum is organized by the Competence Centre for Mining & Mineral Resources of the German-Chilean Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the German Mineral Resources Agency (DERA) and is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany.

Cornelia Sonnenberg, General Manager of the German-Chilean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, emphasized in her conclusion that the German-Chilean Business Summit yet again showed the desire of Germany to contribute towards the development of Chile through know-how, technology transfer and applied research. “This is a meeting of two giants: Chile as the raw-material-giant and Germany as the high-tech-one. The German-Chilean Business Summit showed that we can combine the best of both worlds in a useful manner.”

During the Business Summit the EnergieAgentur.NRW signed a declaration of intent for cooperation with the Industry Association of the mining region Antofagasta (AIA). The Competence Centre for Mining & Mineral Resources of the German-Chilean Chamber of Commerce and Industry and VDMA Mining will act as supporting parties. The Competence Centre for Mining & Mineral Resources of the German-Chilean Chamber of Commerce and Industry furthermore signed a cooperation agreement with the Advanced Mining Technology Center of the Universidad de Chile.

The VI. German-Chilean Business Summit was organized in collaboration with the foreign trade promotion society NRW.International, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Essen and other partners, as well as the ministry of economy, energy, industry, medium-sized companies and trade of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia that supported the conference financially. (AHK Chile/Si.)