Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) welcomed a high-level delegation from Chile’s state-owned copper giant, CODELCO, in New Delhi on Monday. This marks the first-of-its-kind visit by CODELCO experts to India, aimed at assessing HCL’s mining and operational infrastructure across the country.
The three-week visit follows the historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on April 1, 2025, during a bilateral meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font. The MoU aims to foster mutual cooperation in exploration, mining technology, mineral beneficiation, employee training, and capacity building. The delegation includes prominent Chilean experts: Angelo Catalano (Geology), Jose Perez (Innovation), Carlos Donoso (Tailing Management), Jorge Landa (Geotechnical Engineering), and Sergio Heriquez (Geometallurgy). The visit is expected to lay the groundwork for long-term partnerships and technology exchange in the copper sector.
In Kolkata, industry analysts have expressed optimism, noting that such global collaborations may boost domestic copper production, reduce reliance on imports, and potentially lead to more stable pricing in eastern India’s growing industrial clusters. HCL’s Kolkata-based stakeholders have welcomed the move as a sign of India’s rising footprint in global mining networks.