Public Works Undersecretary Danilo Núñez and InvestChile Director Karla Flores concluded the day’s investment promotion activities in London—the first part of InvestChile Week Europe—with critical minerals and infrastructure development meetings. Organized by Chile’s Foreign Investment Promotion Agency, the roadshow includes parallel activities led by Mining Undersecretary Suina Chahuán in Paris.
In the morning, Undersecretary Núñez met with Javier Encinas, the Director of International Finance, Projects and Structured Finance at the National Infrastructure & Service Transformation Authority (NISTA)—a UK Treasury-dependent entity established in 2024 to plan and expedite infrastructure projects and the transformation of public services. The Undersecretary learned about the United Kingdom’s public-private concession experience, including various aspects of long-term strategic planning for large-scale projects in areas such as defense, IT, transportation and social infrastructure. Also present at the meeting were the Head of the Studies and Financial Analysis Division at the General Directorate of Concessions, Juan Eduardo Chackiel and InvestChile’s Infrastructure and Logistics Sector Lead, Patricio Álvarez.
The Undersecretary then spoke with a market intelligence consultant specializing in infrastructure, who expressed interest in learning more about the Chilean model and its new opportunities. He shared details about the public concessions portfolio, which includes projects valued at over US$7.8 billion for tender by 2026, along with plans for the portfolio.
InvestChile Director Karla Flores, Chilean Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ximena Fuentes and InvestChile Investment Commissioner for the United Kingdom and Germany, Vanessa Severin, met with mining technology and engineering suppliers who are interested in the Chilean market. They discussed the opportunities available in this market, critical minerals and the National Lithium Strategy. The conversation was part of the Economy Ministry’s Promotion Program for Foreign Suppliers of the Chilean Mining Industry, which aims to leverage business opportunities arising from the projected US$83 billion in mining investments over the next decade.
In Paris, Mining Undersecretary Suina Chahuán met with senior OECD representatives. Also in attendance were Cristián Sagal, InvestChile Investment Commissioner for France, and Pablo Torres, Counsellor for the Permanent Delegation of Chile to the OECD.
Undersecretary Chahuán first spoke with Sara Sultan, Head of the OECD’s State-owned Enterprises Unit, to discuss recommendations, experiences and best practices for governance in public-private companies based on the institution’s research. In a second meeting, Undersecretary Chahuán met with Karim Dahou, Deputy Director of OECD Global Relations and Cooperation, to discuss challenges and international trends related to critical minerals and to explore opportunities for cooperation. Ambassador Hernán Frigolett, Permanent Representative of Chile to the OECD, and Sebastián Schneider, Deputy Permanent Representative of Chile to the OECD, supported the undersecretary.
On Wednesday, the Chilean authorities will speak at the “French companies exploring opportunities in Chile” event in the French capital, which will bring together over 40 senior representatives from local companies for an agenda that includes bilateral meetings.