Solaris starts initial infra works at US$3.5bn Warintza project

Canadian mining company Solaris Resources is advancing its US$3.5bn Warintza copper, molybdenum and gold project in Ecuador, building initial infrastructure to connect to the highway network.

"Our commitment to the development of the Warintza project in Ecuador is highlighted by significant progress and investments in the development of early works infrastructure, with 25km of road access already improved and the construction of an additional 8km of new roads to support current activities," the company's Latin America head Federico Velásquez told BNamericas.

“We are laying a solid foundation for the next phase of our operations,” he added.

Velásquez said construction of another 7km of roads will enable the company to access efficiently critical areas for future operations.

Warintza is in the advanced exploration stage. In September, Solaris submitted the environmental impact study to the environment ministry.

Ecuadoran consultancy Essam prepared the EIS with data from international firms Knight Piésold Consulting – specialized in tailings, waste, water and closure designs – and Ausenco, a specialist in metallurgical studies and process plant design.

According to its latest corporate filing, Solaris expects approval of the EIS in the second quarter of 2025 and the prefeasibility study is due in the second half of next year, when the company also plans to sign the operating contract. Mine construction is planned to start in 2027.

Warintza is in the Amazonian province of Morona Santiago, 40km north of the Mirador copper mine. It is Ecuador's second largest mine under development after the US$4.2bn Cascabel copper-gold project owned by Australia's SolGold.

In an interview with BNamericas in July, the country manager of Lowell Mineral, Ricardo Obando, said Warintza is a world-class project and is emerging as one of the most important in the region.