The General Directorate of Concessions (DGC) held the opening of the economic bid submitted by Constructora San José S.A. for the construction and operation of the El Arenal Prison in Copiapó.

This Ministry of Justice and Human Rights-led project represents an investment of approximately USD 300 million. It will add 76,600 m² of infrastructure to the national prison system, providing capacity for 2,160 inmates. Constructora San José S.A. Agencia in Chile submitted a bid including a Fixed Construction Subsidy (SFC) of UF 500,264 and a Fixed Operating Subsidy (SFO) of UF 207,999. The opening of this bid initiates the project award phase. With Technical and Economic Bids received on July 29, construction is slated to begin in 2028, with the facility expected to become operational in 2031.

The El Arenal Prison in Copiapó will be built on public land, located approximately 40 km northwest of Copiapó and 12 km from the Desierto de Atacama Airport. It will improve living conditions and social reintegration through modern, safe infrastructure with high operating standards. The future concession will have a 20-year operating period upon completion of construction and includes the maintenance and operation of the new penitentiary, with 15 incarceration modules, which will provide services such as food, healthcare, and support for social reintegration. The facility will feature a prison health unit, a school for inmates, industrial workshops, sports areas, a food production plant, a photovoltaic generation and water treatment system, administrative areas, and adequate spaces for the approximately 600 Gendarmerie officers who will work there.