NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — Governor Katie Hobbs was in Nogales on Wednesday, April 23 to help break ground on a major addition to South32’s Hermosa Project: an innovative remote operations facility known as Centro.
Designed to control and monitor underground mining activities at the Hermosa Mine near Patagonia, Centro represents a significant economic and technological investment in Santa Cruz County.
Nogales Mayor Jorge Maldonado, Santa Cruz County Supervisor Rudy Molera, South32 Hermosa President Pat Risner and Governor Hobbs celebrated the groundbreaking as a milestone for regional job creation and clean energy development.
A South32 representative says the Centro facility will eventually support around 200 full-time jobs, with a strong focus on hiring local. South32 has committed to filling at least 80 percent of those positions with workers from Santa Cruz County. The company is also investing in workforce training programs and educational initiatives reaching K-12 students in a collaboration with Pima Community College.
Hermosa is currently the only advanced mining development in the U.S. capable of producing both zinc and manganese. Bothare federally designated critical minerals that are essential for clean energy technologies, such as electric vehicles and battery storage systems.
“This is where we will control the mining operation,” said Risner, referring to Centro. “And in many cases, monitor and run fleets of equipment that are underground.”
South32 has entered into a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with Santa Cruz County, promising long-term investments in affordable housing, education, and environmental safeguards. The company also pledged to exceed required environmental standards, including increased monitoring efforts to ensure community safety and preserve local lands.
Alex Seowtewa, a member of the Zuni Cultural Resource Advisory Team, collaborated closely with South32 during site planning to protect cultural resources and integrate Indigenous perspectives into the project.
“We’ve been involved in talking with them about site protection,” said Seowtewa. “We really credit this company with letting us be involved.”
Mayor Maldonado echoed community optimism: “I think it’s going to be very well accepted here, especially with the promise of good-paying jobs.”
The Centro facility is expected to be completed by early 2027.
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Joel Foster is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9 who previously worked as an English teacher in both Boston and the Tucson area. Joel has experience working with web, print and video in the tech, finance, nonprofit and the public sectors. In his off-time, you might catch Joel taking part in Tucson's local comedy scene. Share your story ideas with Joel at joel.foster@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
