Energy, Hydrocarbons and Mines grants two-year quarry concession in Chalatenango

The General Directorate of Energy, Hydrocarbons, and Mines granted the merchant Jorge Alberto Ardón Valle the concession for the exploitation of stone material in the quarry named “Extraction of Stone Material for Land Leveling for Grass Cultivation,” located in the district of San Rafael, municipality of Chalatenango Centro, department of Chalatenango. The decision is recorded in Agreement No. 14/2026/DHM/M, published in the Official Gazette Volume No. 452 on September 8, 2026, under Registry No. C8197, and is valid for two years starting from the day following its publication.

The agreement was issued at nine hours and thirty minutes on August 24, 2026, in the district of San Salvador, municipality of San Salvador Centro, and is signed by Daniel Alejandro Álvarez Campos, ad honorem general director. The concession is based on articles 37 number 2, 38, 39, 40, 42, and 43 of the Mining Law, articles 2 numeral 2, 33, and 34 of its Regulations, and article 16 of the Law for the Creation of the General Directorate of Energy, Hydrocarbons, and Mines.

The file was processed without opposition: on November 12, 2025, the area recognition inspection was carried out, which was favorable, and subsequently, the survey and boundary marking were verified through inspections and photographic reports on February 26, April 23, and July 1, 2026. The concessionaire presented a performance bond of TWELVE THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS in favor of the General Directorate, valid for two years from July 22, 2026.

The quarry and its figures

• Extraction area: THREE THOUSAND EIGHTY-TWO POINT EIGHTY SQUARE METERS (3,082.80 m2).
• Estimated volume to be extracted: TWENTY-THREE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED NINETY-TWO POINT NINETY-FIVE CUBIC METERS (23,592.95 m3) of white earth.
• General property where it is located: THIRTY-ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED TWENTY-THREE POINT FIFTY-SIX SQUARE METERS (31,423.56 m2).
• Location: Vega Grande and Río Las Minas site, two kilometers from the district of San Rafael, on the road leading to San Francisco Morazán.
• Method: open-pit exploitation, mechanized with a mechanical shovel and backhoes, without the use of explosives.
• Design: descending cuts from elevation 348 to elevation 330 meters above sea level, with five-meter slopes, a 60-degree inclination, and intermediate berms of 2.5 meters.
• Operation: cutting and direct loading into dump trucks, with direct sales and no stockpiling of material on site.

Obligations and deadlines of the concessionaire

• Accept the written agreement within EIGHT business days and publish it in the Official Gazette at their own expense.
• Register the agreement in the corresponding registries, pursuant to article 49, third paragraph of the Mining Law.
• Keep the environmental permit and the bond in effect throughout the duration of the concession.
• Sign the exploitation contract within a term of fifteen business days and begin operations within a maximum of six months.
• Request any extension at least three months prior to expiration.
• Cover transported material with tarps, keep the work area moist, maintain street signage toward San Francisco Morazán, and execute an afforestation plan upon completion of extraction.

Sector Background

This publication is added to another two-year concession granted by the same General Directorate and disseminated in the Official Gazette on August 12, 2026: the “Nivelación de Terreno González” quarry, in favor of Melvin David González Bonilla, in the district of San Miguel, municipality of San Miguel Centro, with an area of FIVE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTEEN POINT SEVENTY-FOUR SQUARE METERS (5,517.74 m2) and a volume of TWENTY-FOUR THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE POINT FIFTY CUBIC METERS (24,835.50 m3).

The granting enables two years of white earth extraction in a rural point of Chalatenango Centro, with explicit environmental and road safety obligations, and conditions the validity of the concession on the environmental permit, the bond, and the signing of the exploitation contract. For the communities near San Rafael and for the local mining sector, the agreement establishes the operational framework of the project and the deadlines that the holder must meet to avoid losing the concession.

Source: Official Gazette, Volume No. 452, September 8, 2026, Autonomous Institutions section, pp. 23-26 (official reference: Agreement No. 14/2026/DHM/M, Registry No. C8197).