SANTIAGO, April 16 (Reuters) - Chile's government needs

to quickly approve a proposal to streamline permitting for the

mining industry to unlock and promote investment in the world's

top copper-producing country, a top BHP official said on Tuesday

"In Chile it is urgent to improve the permit system to allow

companies to approve large investment projects in a timely

manner," BHP President Americas Brandon Craig said during a

panel at the World Copper Conference, which is being held in

Santiago.

"This not only applies to new projects, but also to permits

needed to optimize current operations," he added.

Mining companies and industry groups have complained about

the extensive permitting process in Chile. In January, the

government presented legal reforms to streamline permitting for

investments, which can currently reach up to 500 requests from

various authorities.

The reforms still must be approved by Congress, where the

government has faced strong opposition. The government was able

to pass a mining tax reform last year, but a major industry

request during the debate was to streamline permitting and

reduce start-up times for multi-million dollar copper projects,

which is Chile's largest export.

"I hope these reforms are approved quickly so that the

industry can unlock large mining investments," Craig said.