General manager of the Aratarí mining, Fernando Puntigliano, brought the proposal to José Mujica. Puntigliano said the investment would be of approximately 1,500 million dollars and the country would generate 1,100 jobs directly and 10,000 indirectly. "Mujica gave us full support and even raised some ideas," he said. If finalized, the project would be launched in 2013.

Puntigliano-former president of the National Port Administration, he said that they were already in touch with the government in office but now decided to proceed with the elected Government. The project materialized consist of six components: water resource use, a power generation plant, a plant for production of iron for consumption, transportation - the proposal is from a slurry pipeline from the production plant to a port - the port, and a transverse component that would care for the Environment, where it will meet World Bank standards. "It is a highly decentralized project, because none of its components go through Montevideo" he said.

Mujica's government said it will prioritize the use of rail, however, the general manager said that is an alternative, but not the main one. "It should be a decentralized railway line, the priority would be the slurry, nobody knows it exists because it is under the floor and all you see is a pumping station there is no involvement of the landscape," he said.

The president-elect, stated Puntigliano, gave "full support" to the project and considered it "very important". "He even raised some ideas, which are obviously confidential, but we feel a great support. We will have a future meeting with ministers, the president and vice president to discuss the details.

(www.180.com.uy, 28 January 2010)