Ecuador plans new mining concessions for this year

Ecuador's government plans to open a new round of mining concessions at the end of the year.

As a first step in the process, the government will hold an international tender in May to select a company that will be in charge of updating and modernizing the country's mining registry, deputy mines minister Xavier Vera Grunauer told a virtual event hosted by the local association of mining engineers. 

"We're about to finish the bidding documents," said Vera.

The objective is to migrate the current registry to a modern software-based one that will include a comprehensive information system, georeferencing, and security features.

For this project the country counts on funding from the IDB.

Vera also said that Ecuador's mineral exports totaled US$2.1bn last year and are projected to climb to around US$4bn in 2025.

The Mirador copper mine (pictured) and the Fruta del Norte gold mine are the only large-scale operations currently in production in Ecuador. Others are set to begin producing by 2025, including the El Domo mine of the Curipamba gold-copper project, which is owned by Salazar Resources and Adventus Mining, and the Loma Larga gold-silver project, which belongs to Dundee Precious Metals.