Could you introduce Worley in Argentina?

Worley has operated in Argentina for 45 continuous years under different names. Today, we have just over 550 employees in Argentina. Our main office is in Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires, and we are planning to move into a larger space nearby. We have had an office in Bahía Blanca for over 20 years due to the large petrochemical activity there. 

We also have a strong partnership with Rio Tinto. Earlier this year Rio Tinto named Worley as the Lead Integration Delivery Partner for the Rincón project in Salta. That is quite a challenge, and a very interesting project. Our teams are very integrated: we have a team embedded within Rio Tinto’s offices in Salta, and Rio Tinto also has a few people working with us in Buenos Aires. We are very proud of being able to support a company like Rio. 

Worley has a history of working both oil and gas and mining. How do the two practice areas complement one another?

Our historical core business in Argentina has been oil and gas, but since 2019 we have seen more activity in the lithium sector. From a technical standpoint, we view lithium projects as an intermediate step between hard rock mining on the one side and petrochemicals, oil and gas on the other. Lithium sites are essentially chemical plants in very harsh, high-altitude environments, and they come with a very unique set of challenges, but a lot of the capabilities we have from oil and gas are transferrable. On the supplier side, many local companies that have been successful service providers for oil and gas projects have now transitioned into mining as well. Finally, working in both industries allows us to think outside of the box. Of course, this greater workload also comes with challenges. For example, the availability of qualified staff can be a limiting concern. But the level of synergy between the two sectors helps us deliver our best work. 

Looking forwards, what are the key opportunities that Worley has identified?

We see a lot of opportunities in consulting, where we have a strong capacity to deliver value to our clients. We want to build support for our customers from the early stages by working on feasibility studies and project visualization. We have lots of experience working in Argentina, knowing which contractors to work with and how the market works. When you come into Argentina to deliver a project, you need to know the market and the culture, and we are ready to deliver that.

What factors make Argentina’s procurement market unique, compared to nearby Chile and Peru?

Our market is an emerging market, and all the players are trying to get up to the level that major projects require. Many companies have a lot of potential to grow and deliver contracts or services, but other companies are further behind in this process. As an EPCM contractor, Worley’s role is to guide our customers to the right players and allow them to make informed decisions. Another factor is the local content requirements. Foreign companies need to partner with local companies to remain compliant with Argentina’s legal frameworks. This is not an insurmountable issue; it is just a factor that companies interested in Argentina must navigate. 

How have recent regulatory overhauls in Argentina impacted the natural resources sector?

The regulatory changes are powerful because they provide a greater level of certainty for investors as to how the country will look 20-30 years into the future. In the past, currency controls made it very hard to do business here. Now the game is completely different. We can spend our time thinking about how to grow here and make strategic investments rather than simply survive.

What are the major milestones that you are looking forward to at Worley?

Arminera 2025 took place this May here in Buenos Aires, and we were very happy with the number of people coming into our booth. There is lots of activity within the industry at the moment. More and more of our customers are considering starting construction within the coming year or arriving at an FID (final investment decision) in the coming months. So right now, there is much to be positive about in the mining sector.