Mining products enter the top 5 of non-oil exports and displace flowers

Estimates indicate that in 2021 mining shipments will exceed 1,000 million dollars.

Europe was the main market for mining products that were mined inNorthern fruit, an underground gold mine located in Zamora Chinchipe that has large-scale operations. Finland, Germany, Bulgaria and Switzerland received the doré (bars) and gold concentrate produced in that area of ​​the Amazon.

From there, a total of approximately 242,000 ounces of gold was obtained in 2020, an important production that places the country on the map of large-scale mining exports.

Although large-scale mining started in mid-2019 with the Mirador project, an open-pit copper mine also located in Zamora Chinchipe, the production entry of Fruta del Norte began to consolidate mining exports in 2020 and consolidate its potential. .

A report from theEcuadorian Federation of Exporters (Fedexpor),which collects data from the Central Bank, indicates that Ecuador exported 922 million dollars in mining products during 2020, a growth of 183% compared to the 326 million dollars reported in 2019. In volume, shipments grew 88%.

Mining sales were so important that ranked fifth in exports non-oil, surpassing the flowers and approaching very closely to the transactions of cocoa and its elaborations.

According to data from theUndersecretary of Industrial Mining of the Ministry of Energy, Ecuador has 6.95% of its total territory concessioned to legal mining activities. Of this percentage, 5.39% is in the exploration phase and 1.56% in the exploitation stage.

Lundin GoldIt is the company in charge of Fruta del Norte, a mine that has reserves of approximately 5.4 million ounces of gold and which has an estimated useful life of 14 years.

The current production of the mine is 3,500 tons per day, but because it is expanding, this year it is estimated that it will reach 4,200 tons per day.

Fernando Pombo, Lundin Gold Government Information Liaison Superintendent, He noted that Fruta del Norte is expected to reach between 380,000 and 420,000 ounces of gold in 2021.

The port of Guayaquil and Puerto Bolívar have captured part of that mining cargo that left last year and are getting ready to catch a larger volume this year.

Xavier Rosero, university professor and director of export studies,estimated that this year mining growth could be expected to exceed 1,000 million dollars.

The takeoff of large-scale mining, however, comes at a time when a sector of the population questions the environmental impacts of this activity. In the February elections, the consultation on the prohibition of mining in areas close to water sources in Cuenca obtained 80%, according to preliminary data from the National Electoral Council.

María Eulalia Silva, president of the Ecuadorian Chamber of Mining,He argued that all industries go through stages of maturation and nowhere has the birth been easy. He said there is an opportunity to learn what the benefits of this industry are and to hone in on best environmental and social practices.

The union leader added that in the areas of influence to the projects this anti-mining discourse is not generalized. “There are people grateful for how the industry changed life. Responsible mining will continue to pave the way for development, ”he stated.

In the Ministry of Energy they indicated that the adequate geological conditions that Ecuador has project it as an attractive country for mining development. Between November 2016 and November 2022, it is estimated that 1.3 billion dollars will be deployed in the country in investments for initial exploration activities.

Fabricio López, Undersecretary of Industrial Mining of the Ministry of Energy, explained in a recent discussion that the government has issued regulations that point to responsible mining. Last year, he said, the Ministry issued a regulation for the approval of projects for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of tailings deposits for medium and large-scale mining.

In this regulatory framework, requirements and provisions are established to ensure the physical stability of these works, which are used for the accumulation and storage of metallurgical mining waste.

For this year the regulation for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of dumps for medium and large-scale mining has been planned. (I)

Port terminals made adjustments to handle mining cargo

The port terminals of Guayaquil and Puerto Bolívar have been the exit doors for copper and gold exports. During 2020,Guayaquil Maritime Port“Libertador Simón Bolívar”, a Contecon concessionaire, operated and shipped around 20 thousand tons of export minerals, mainly gold and copper concentrates.

José Antonio Contreras, Contecon general manager,indicated that the progress of this industry allows to foresee an attractive volume for the coming years in the different modes of transport.

The executive said that the company has the capacity and operability to handle minerals in a safe, competitive and environmentally responsible manner from receipt to shipment.

According to Contreras, they have large areas that allow adequate separation of the products that are shipped, maintaining the integrity of the loads at all times.

Through investments aimed at strengthening the port infrastructure, Contecon said that it has adapted the areas of the terminal to respond to the storage and storage needs of this industry.

“We are prepared with segregated areas for the handling of these materials, and we have roofed warehouses for their storage and protection, which keep the cargo in adequate humidity and ventilation, as determined by local and international specifications for safe handling of merchandise, ”Contreras said.

Puerto Bolívar, managed byYilport,has transported copper from its facilities. Several ships have entered that terminal to collect this type of cargo.

In 2020, it exported a total of 117,368 metric tons of copper, according to data from thePort Authority of Puerto Bolívar.