APM considering international arbitration over Karachipampa - Bolivia

Canadian miner Atlas Precious Metals (APM) is considering going to international arbitration over the reactivation of the Karachipampa polymetallurgical plant, APM's legal representative Betsy Miranda told BNamericas.
"If we keep experiencing the kinds of irregularities that we have up to now, it clears the path for us to go to international arbitration because we see more and more that we are right," Miranda said.
At the beginning of July, APM asked the Bolivian chamber of commerce, the local regulator, to dissolve its JV contract with state miner Comibol for the latter's failure to meet the agreements for the reactivation of Karachipampa.
Among APM's reasons for deciding to terminate the contract are the government decision to cash in the company's surety bond despite the fact that it expires in 2011, and the lack of land to construct sulfuric acid and zinc plants.
IRREGULARITIES
Among the reasons for going to international arbitration are the irregularitiessurrounding the hearing to create a tribunal and proceed with the dissolution of the contract with Comibol, according to Miranda.
"It's not that entity's responsibility to make observations about my ability to take on the process as APM's representative. The tribunal should have been appointed first and, once formed, it could have made the observation about the scope of the power given to me by the company," Miranda said.
The national chamber of commerce did not even allow the tribunal to be created, according to Miranda, who added: "Unfortunately, there is political interference at every level here."
In addition, just a few days ago, APM received the notice from Comibol giving the company a period of 90 days to move forward with the investments or it would cash in the US$850,000 surety bond.
"It doesn't make any sense - the warning arriving weeks after they have cashed in the bond. They are doing things backwards," she said.
The agreement Comibol signed with APM workers, guaranteeing their jobs, is another reason for going to international arbitration.
"It's disloyal of our partner [Comibol], guaranteeing jobs to workers without APM's knowledge or consent," she said.
APM has presented four plans for the plant's reactivation, with different shifts to start lead and silver production in July 2011.
"But they haven't accepted any of these plans. It's as if they don't want us to move forward with the project," she said.
In June 2005, Comibol and APM signed a JV agreement to reactivate the 51,000t/y plant in Potosi department. APM has a 65% share and the Bolivian state holds the remainder. Karachipampa will treat silver concentrates.
By Harvey Beltrán

Two groups secure contracts in second renewables call - Peru

Peru's energy and mining investment regulator Osinergmin has awarded two groups contracts in the second auction round to supply the national grid with renewables for 20 years.
The winners are Empresa de Generacion Hidroelectrica de Chancay and Empresa Electrica Rio Doble, according to a notary document from the watchdog. Contract signing is scheduled for next month.
The first group will develop biomass project Lambayeque (1.5MW) and hydro Patapo (1MW), and the second winner hydro Las Pizarras (18MW). The three projects are due to come online in 2012.
Second round requirements were for 419GWh/y from biomass, 8GWh/y from solar and a maximum of 338MW from hydro.

Olmos power component bidding timetable extended - Peru

Peru's Olmos hydro project (PEOT) has extended the bidding timetable to carry out the power generation component.
The deadline to purchase bidding rules is August 13, while the data room will remain open until September 16, according to a notice from PEOT.
Prequalification documents are due by August 16 with prequalifiers scheduled to be announced August 19. Offers are due September 17 and awarding slated for October 1.
The power component is due to take 3.5 years, with plant 1's price tag at US$90.6mn and US$98.4mn for plant 2. The plants will be built at the exit of a 20km tunnel which will transport water from the Limon dam, generating 2.39TWh/y. The tunnel is due to be ready in the second quarter of next year.

MIEM releases names of wind tender participants - Uruguay

Uruguay's ministry of industry, energy and mines (MIEM) released the names of companies participating in the tender to develop up to 150MW of wind capacity organized by state power company UTE.
Twenty-two bids from 15 different firms were received earlier this month, with each wind farm ranging in capacity from 30MW to 50MW. Tender results are due out in coming months.
Local company Polesine submitted three separate bids, while firms Aguas Leguas, Ensol, Kital and Ladaner each proposed two projects. Generacion Eolica Minas, the local subsidiary of German renewable energy group Sowitec, also made two bids.
Six of the projects are submitted for Maldonado department on the country's southeast coastline, where UTE currently operates its 20MW Caracoles wind farm.
The bidding process is part of UTE's drive to add 300MW of wind capacity by 2015, when the company expects 50% of its capacity to come from renewable.

Impsa lands US$150mn Embalse contract - Argentina

Argentine firm Impsa has landed a US$150mn contract to upgrade four steam generators at the Embalse nuclear facility in Cordoba province, a company spokesman told BNamericas.
Impsa will develop the new generators at its Argentine facilities. The new generators will increase steam supply to turbines at the 648MW plant.
Work on the units is due to start this year, with Impsa expecting to complete installment by 2013, the spokesperson said. The firm is hoping to develop further projects for state nuclear company NA-SA in the near future.
The Andean Development Corporation (CAF) approved a US$240mn loan for the redevelopment of the Embalse facility earlier this year.
At the time, CAF estimated that investment in the project to extend the plants
useful life by 25-30 years could hit US$1.02bn.
Embalse and Atucha I, Argentina's second nuclear power plant, account for about 7% of power supply in the country.

Santo Antonio hydro to launch operations in December 2011 - Brazil

Brazilian concessionaire Santo Antonio Energia aims to launch commercial operations at the 3.15GW Santo Antonio hydro by December next year, a spokesperson for the firm told BNamericas.
"Works are being done to launch commercial operations in December 2011. The last generator unit will be online by 2015," the spokesperson said.
The hydro plant is being built on the Madeira river in the Amazon region.
Construction is now 29% complete, according to the spokesperson.
Brazilian power company Eletrobras Furnas holds a 39% stake in the Madeira Energia group that controls Santo Antonio Energia.
Madeira Energia also includes Odebrecht with a 1% stake, its subsidiary Odebrecht Investimentos em Infra-estrutura (18%), engineering firm Andrade Gutierrez Participacoes (12%) and Brazilian power company Cemig (NYSE: CIG) with 10%.
By João Carvalho

Software industry still has major challenges - Chile

Considering that Chile's software industry grew 12% in 2007 and by about 22% last year, growth has been positive and steady, despite economic problems resulting from the global crisis and the earthquake that hit the country in February. This is mainly because today ERP is no longer exclusive to large companies or corporations - small and medium enterprises have come to understand the importance of investing in these management systems, specifically to optimize business. Today, for a million dollars you can access a 100% web-based ERP solution that will improve the management of a company while also reducing costs and increasing productivity, allowing for the solution to be managed from anywhere in the world.
Thus, the industry has defined the challenge of competing abroad, opening new markets for Chile to earn its place as an exporter of software. While there are many developers that are already operating in other latitudes and software exports have grown positively, the idea is that these efforts increase.
On the other hand, it is important that ERPs incorporate new tools such as electronic invoicing, business intelligence and/or CRM (Customer Relationship Management), and that these tools conform to the particular requirements of various sectors, such as in the areas of mining and construction. Moreover, there are certain companies that need to operate these systems because of their business partners' requirements, which makes it evermore necessary that they are compatible and can communicate with each other.
Finally, SaaS - software as a service - is a trend that is beginning to consolidate, growing at an annual 40%, mainly due to irresistible advantages and benefits when compared to the classical solutions. Particularly when considering that in a globalized world, a company that can be managed from anywhere in the world and at any time, with information online and updated in real time, becomes an unparalleled competitive advantage. In fact, international consultancy Gartner identifies cost, speed and resources as the three elements that lead companies to opt for software as a service, since it means less expense than the traditional model, it is easier and faster to implement and requires fewer resources than the traditional model. The challenge that this trend represents, is clearly related to a safe and world class service.
by Diego Gonzalez, general manager of Defontana