Venezuela adds 41 machines to gold production

The Venezuelan government added 41 pieces of heavy machinery to the Chocó Plant, located in El Callao, Bolívar state, to boost gold and coal extraction. The delivery is part of a batch of 544 units intended for surface, underground and drilling mining, according to Minister for Ecological Mining Development Héctor Silva, speaking during an official broadcast.

The arrival of heavy drilling and transport equipment seeks to ease bottlenecks in the primary extraction stage. The ore extracted feeds the processing of activated carbon, a key component in leaching and gold recovery at the plant, on which the operating pace of the mining complex depends.

The push for state mining activity comes amid a price environment under pressure. According to data from El Nacional, cumulative inflation in Venezuela reached 242.87% between January and September, while projections for the end of 2026 estimate a change of between 370% and 540% in the national currency.

For the regional economy of Bolívar state and mining workers, the equipment determines the operational stability of local plants. Nevertheless, the direct impact of this extractive activity on families' real income remains conditioned by the trajectory of general inflation.