Delay in Chile mining permits a serious problem, says local head of Freeport

An extended delay in enacting reforms in Chile aimed at expediting mining permits represents a "serious" problem for the industry in the world's top copper-producing country, the local head of US miner Freeport-McMoRan said on Tuesday.

Chile, also the world's second-biggest producer of the key battery metal lithium, is grappling with regulatory hurdles that miners also argue slow project development.