
The Chilean subsidiary of Australian mining giant BHP Billiton plans to reactivate projects worth 6.75 billion US dollars that were frozen last year amid the global recession.

Chile is just months away from beginning operations at a huge Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) re-gasification plant that was first planned during the Ricardo Lagos administration. The 1.1 billion US dollars plant is located near the Region V coastal city of Quintero.

Chile's flag air carrier LAN announced on Friday it will invest 1.3 billion US dollars between 2009 and 2011 to expand its fleet. LAN, which has operations across South America, will buy long- and short-haul planes as well as new-generation cargo aircraft, Chairman Jorge Awad said.

Latinamerica is hopeful that an increase in trade with China and investments from the Asian giant will help compensate lost business with the United States and the European Union because of the global crisis.

The World Bank approved a 64 million US dollars loan to increase the efficiency, coverage and sustainability of water and sanitation services in Paraguay. The project is expected to benefit almost 17% of Paraguayans, especially the most vulnerable groups.

Investment in Chilean copper and gold projects is expected to total over $30 billion. Chile is the world’s No. 1 producer and exporter of copper and each 1-cent increase in the annual median price of copper represents an additional $40 million for the treasury of the Andean nation. The median price per pound so far this year is $1.59, compared with $3.15 a pound in 2008.

The Uruguayan government has modified the bidding terms for offshore oil and gas exploration and exploitation, given the dramatic fall in oil prices and the deepening global economic crisis.

A huge project involving 300 million US dollars for the exploitation of coal deposits in the extreme south Chilean Magallanes Region was officially presented in Punta Arenas this week by Energy Minister Marcelo Tokman and top officials from the two companies involved in the project.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez agreed Monday to deepen ties in energy, investment and trade, with Japanese companies ready to participate in gas and crude production in the Latin American country.

An article in the latest edition of the UK national daily ‘The Guardian’ describes Gibraltar as “a miraculous survivor in these days of international financial turmoil and sweeping recession, thanks to a sinking pound and an economy that grows at a rate comparable to that of China.”