The Congress of Peru extends the validity of the controversial small-scale mining license for six months

( Spanish) – The Plenary Session of the Congress of Peru approved this Friday a six-month extension for the Comprehensive Registry for the Formalization of Small and Artisanal Mining (Reinfo), which allows producers to engage in this activity on a small scale without it being considered a crime.

The measure, supported by 87 votes in favor, 19 against and 12 abstentions, will be sent to the Executive for promulgation. If he does not do so, Congress could publish the document.

The extension was previously approved by the Congressional Energy and Mines Commission. The opinion was endorsed by 15 votes in favor, one against and four abstentions.

The bill contemplates the extension of the Reinfo for six months, from December 31 to June 30, 2025, with the possibility of being extended for six more months, in accordance with the decision of the Executive Branch through a decree.

The extension of this registry is the main demand of hundreds of workers from small mining companies who have been camping for more than 10 days outside Congress and other groups blocking roads in the south of the country.

According to Peruvian legislation, artisanal miners are classified as those who extract mineral manually and with basic equipment and on land areas of less than 1,000 hectares, and upon entering the Reinfo they are in the process of formalization. Illegal mining has been a crime since 2012.