The regulatory update breakfast held on September 30 fostered a dynamic and participatory discussion, bringing together law, engineering, and geosciences.
Participants at the regulatory update breakfast organized by Chirgwin and ICASS.
SANTIAGO, OCTOBER 2026. Chirgwin and ICASS held the regulatory update breakfast “Operational Certainty in Times of Regulatory Uncertainty” on September 30, an event aimed at analyzing, from a technical and legal perspective, the changes affecting the operation of companies and projects in matters related to water, biodiversity, and climate change.
The event brought together professionals and representatives from various industries in a discussion focused on how to anticipate regulatory risks and strengthen decision-making in a context where water planning, the new biodiversity institutional framework, and climate change-related requirements are becoming increasingly relevant to operational management.
A Technical, Legal and Highly Interactive Discussion
The event was conducted as a panel discussion followed by an open conversation, encouraging the exchange of questions, experiences, and perspectives among attendees and speakers. The interaction was especially fluid: lawyers, engineers, and technical specialists successfully translated complex issues into practical operational and management challenges. And, to dispel any doubts, it became clear that lawyers and engineers can indeed speak the same language.
Topics discussed included the evolution of watershed-based water planning and its management instruments; the importance of having proprietary and auditable technical information; the environmental management implications of the law creating the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service (SBAP); and the integration of climate risk into corporate reporting, management, and decision-making processes.
The discussion connected these issues through two disciplines that must work in close coordination. The materials presented during the session highlighted precisely this convergence: the same technical information base may be relevant before the General Water Directorate, the new biodiversity institutional framework, and climate and financial disclosure requirements.
Panelists and an Interdisciplinary Approach
Representing ICASS were Scarlett Vásquez Paulus, Fernando Pérez Venegas, and Adrián Lillo Zenteno, contributing perspectives from hydraulic engineering, hydrogeology, and water resources management. Representing Chirgwin were Michael Hantke and Francisco Valle, specialists in environmental, mining, and water law matters. The dialogue between these fields, moderated by Gonzalo Lagas of ICASS, made it possible to address regulatory challenges not as isolated issues, but as factors that directly affect operational continuity and certainty.
Representatives of ICASS and Chirgwin during the event.
Thank You to All Participants
Chirgwin and ICASS would like to extend their sincere thanks to everyone who attended and contributed with their questions, comments, and experiences. The quality of the discussion confirmed the value of creating spaces where regulatory challenges can be analyzed in a direct, interdisciplinary, and practical manner.
Those interested in exploring these topics further should stay tuned: this was conceived as the first of a continuing series. New editions and events will be announced soon, providing further opportunities to discuss the regulatory changes that are transforming project and operational management in Chile.
