Felipe Correa, consultant - ECLAC
Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet, recently commissioned a group of experts in the copper smelting and refining industry with the task of studying the perspectives for the sector’s future in Chile. This Commission has today the historical opportunity to propose a National Smelting Policy, setting as an objective the refining of the 100% of copper production. A National Smelting Policy could lead to a process of re-industrialization of copper mineral in order to create a world-class copper manufacturing sector in Chile, among other benefits from the strengthening of the smelting industry in the country. This note approaches the need for an active policy from the State in this strategically sector, and is based on a recent study published by the Division on Production, Productivity and Management (ECLAC) in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation.