
The Corporación Minera de Bolivia (Mining Corporation of Bolivia), also known as COMIBOL, is a major
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
n state company that oversees the nation's mining operations.
In the decades after the
Bolivian National Revolution
The Bolivian Revolution of 1952 (), also known as the Revolution of '52, was a series of political demonstrations led by the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR), which, in alliance with liberals and communists, sought to overthrow the rulin ...
, it became the country's largest and most important public company. After a period of inactivity following the 1985 Bolivian economic crisis, COMIBOL was revived in 2006 and today holds an important, if diminished, place in the country's economy.
History
COMIBOL was created by Supreme Declaration 3196 on October 2, 1952.
It was founded ahead of the nationalization of the
Patiño,
Hochschild, and
Aramayo mines on October 31 by the government of
Víctor Paz Estenssoro
Ángel Víctor Paz Estenssoro (2 October 1907 – 7 June 2001) was a Bolivian politician who served as the 45th president of Bolivia for three nonconsecutive and four total terms from 1952 to 1956, 1960 to 1964 and 1985 to 1989. He ran for pr ...
, in the context of the
Bolivian National Revolution
The Bolivian Revolution of 1952 (), also known as the Revolution of '52, was a series of political demonstrations led by the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR), which, in alliance with liberals and communists, sought to overthrow the rulin ...
. The businesses of the three nationalized mining groups were initially reorganized into 16 mining companies exploiting tin, lead, silver, zinc, tungsten, copper, and gold, with COMIBOL overseeing the administration of these operations.
COMIBOL was the principal Bolivian public company for many decades after its creation, being the country's main source of foreign currency and its biggest employer. It played an important role in the capitalization of
YPFB
Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) is a Bolivian state-owned enterprise dedicated to the exploration, exploitation, refining, industrialization, distribution and commercialization of oil, natural gas and derived products. It ...
from the 1950s to '70s. As of November 2014, COMIBOL was the country's third-largest public company based on revenue, after YPFB and the Empresa Metalúrgica de Vinto.
The history of COMIBOL is intimately linked to Bolivia's development process. Its foundations were the transfer to the state of 163 mines owned across 13 companies by the state's mining barons, Patiño, Hochschild, and Aramayo, which had a labor force of 29,000 people and a total production of 27,000 metric tons of tin.
During the Bolivian National Revolution, from 1952 to 1964, COMIBOL suffered from declining mineral content, a lack of reserves, a lack of administrative capacity, and an excess of workers. At the same time, the government used COMIBOL to generate cheap foreign currency and financial resources. For example, in 1956, COMIBOL contributed 30 million dollars to the and 10 million to YPFB. It's estimated that during the government of the
Revolutionary Nationalist Movement
The Revolutionary Nationalist Movement ( , MNR) is a centre-right, conservative political party in Bolivia. It was the leading force behind the Bolivian National Revolution from 1952 to 1964. It influenced much of the country's history since 19 ...
in this period, COMIBOL transferred more than 100 million dollars to YPFB.
The relative importance of COMIBOL's export values was in permanent decline. Since Bolivia's 1985 economic crisis and the institution of
Supreme Decree 21060
Supreme Decree 21060 (, ''DS 21060'', or ''DS Nº 21060''), promulgated by Bolivian President Víctor Paz Estenssoro on 29 August 1985, was a legal instrument that imposed neoliberal economic policies in order to end Bolivia's twin crises of inte ...
, the value of exports from small and mid-sized mining, as a percentage of the total value of exports, overtook that of COMIBOL. It became effectively paralyzed between 1986 and 2005, with its activities extremely limited.
In 2006, the company was reactivated and resumed its productive capacity, though at a lower level than before 1985.
The COMIBOL archives are housed at the
Catavi mine
Catavi is a tin mining, mine in Bolivia, near the city of Llallagua in the province of Rafael Bustillo, Bustillos, Potosí Department. Along with the Siglo XX mine, it is part of a mining complex in the area.
Apart from the Catavi-Siglo XX mining ...
.
Companies
* Empresa Minera Huanuni
* Empresa Minera Colquiri
* Empresa Minera Corocoro
* Empresa Metalúrgica Vinto
* Empresa Metalúrgica de Karachipampa
* Empresa Boliviana del Oro
* Empresa Minera San Jose
* Dirección de Medio Ambiente - DIMA
In 2017, the Gerencia Nacional Recursos Evaporíticos was moved from under COMIBOL and the Ministry of Mining, coming under the purview of the Empresa Pública Nacional Estratégica de , which depends on the Ministry of Energy.
Huanuni
Due to its high mineral content,
Huanuni
Huanuni is a town in the department of Oruro, Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, ...
was the only COMIBOL mine that did not close in 1985, after the tin market crisis and
Supreme Decree 21060
Supreme Decree 21060 (, ''DS 21060'', or ''DS Nº 21060''), promulgated by Bolivian President Víctor Paz Estenssoro on 29 August 1985, was a legal instrument that imposed neoliberal economic policies in order to end Bolivia's twin crises of inte ...
. It was exploited as a joint venture until 2006, when it was retaken by COMIBOL.
A large part of the technology used in Huanuni is from the 1970s. Owing to the richness of its minerals, it is more mechanized than other mines in Bolivia. The government is constructing a new refinery in Dolores, near Huanuni, that should improve the efficiency and profitability of the Empresa Minera Huanuni. The high price of tin has increased interest in exploitation within the mine. Today, there are around 4,500 workers at Huanuni, including 2,000 on the surface. In 2006, competition over the riches veins almost led to a fight between cooperative miners and those employed by the state. In the end, the government opted to hired the cooperative workers as employees, increasing COMIBOL's payroll.
[{{Cite web , title=Huanuni tin mine , url=https://andean-extractives.org/huanuni-tin-mine/ , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110064027/http://andean-extractives.org/huanuni-tin-mine/ , archive-date=2015-01-10 , website=Andean Extractives]
References
Government-owned companies of Bolivia
1952 establishments in Bolivia
Mining in Bolivia