“The closure decision is a decision of a private company”

The Minister of Economy, Nicolás Grau, reiterated that he has held important meetings in the Biobío region in which progress has been made in solving the problem faced by Siderúrgica Huachipato, after the announcement of the closure of the steel plant.

“On that same Wednesday, after meeting with the Huachipato union, I met with unions and businessmen from all productive and industrial sectors, because we have been working together for months to create a pro-industry agenda in Biobío,” he said, responding to criticism that he and his portfolio are just getting involved in the crisis.

He added, in conversation with Estado Nacional, from TVN, that for the Government “Huachipato represents a company that is key for the country,” but maintained “that the decision to close is the decision of a company. A private company that has all the legal authority” to do so. Although he pointed out that President Boric’s administration is in dialogue with the steel company to see “what are the alternatives” to the closure.

He insisted that part of what the Executive has done is meet with the mining companies, which could be the “big buyers” of steel and be part of the solution. In addition, -he added- the company can also continue its path through the Anti-Distortion Commission.

Regarding mining companies and the purchase of national steel, he recalled what was experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. “For a long time we had great difficulty bringing Chinese steel. And that difficulty sometimes also occurs in normal times.”

This week, the closure of Huachipato was Minister Grau’s priority. He traveled to the Biobío region to learn first-hand about the treatments and alternatives that are being evaluated to mitigate the crisis. The company’s workers welcomed the minister with a strike.

The minister yesterday told El Mercurio an assessment of his visit and the situation: “We think that a closure of Huachipato is bad news for the mining companies. If they see it from a long-term strategic perspective, this can even be negative in terms of the projection of its future cost, logistical certainty and also the possibility of reducing the carbon footprint, which is something very relevant. for the mining companies.”

The militant Minister of Social Convergence called on the mining companies not to discard themselves and to be part of a long-term strategy that is a solution. However, he distanced himself from the call: “Now, the way in which they take this message and decide or not to be part of the solution is something that each of these companies has to evaluate individually. They cannot discuss it in an articulate way, because that is what our free competition legislation would not allow.”