Sorry for the on topic30 Aug 2022 10:27
The mining industry is a sustainable alternative to meet the needs of the country.
María Eulalia Silva, executive president of the Ecuadorian Mining Chamber, explained that the development of formal mining, with all the controls and legal requirements, is a sustainable alternative to meet the country's needs.
If not promoted, a significant source of wealth would be turned over to illegal activities. Thus, the debate should not be whether mining is allowed, but what type of extractive activity we are willing to promote as a society.
Q. How much has mining really grown in the country and what is its impact?
For the second half of 2019, the two industrial mines begin to operate. Actually, 2021 was the first full year of production and it was predicted that we were going to end up with $1.6 billion in exports; but we were wrong. The final figure was $2.1 billion. For 2022 we will see how we finish, but only in the first semester $1,400 million were registered. This is achieved with only two industrial mines. The contribution of small mining averages 25%. The Spurrier group carried out an economic impact study which establishes that, if only the twelve most advanced projects materialize, exports would be generated for $176,000 million in 30 years and more than $44,000 million for the State.
Q. How much of the mining potential has been discovered and exploited?
We are exporting copper concentrate, gold concentrate, doré bars, and some silver. The real potential of Ecuador we still do not know. You need to explore; open the mining cadastre and grant concessions to serious companies. With less than 8% of the concession territory, world-class deposits have already been found. For example, Standard and Poor's determined that Cascabel, in Imbabura, is the second best deposit found in the world during the last decade. We are just scratching the surface, and with that wonderful things have been found. Ecuador can become an important participant in the fight against climate change. There is no ecological and energy transaction without minerals. The country has those resources and can take advantage of them.
Q. If the impact is so great, why does mining have so many detractors?
Those who are opposed to mining are less than they seem, but they make more noise. You will not find people who go out to the streets to demand that they want mining. Through a perception study carried out last year, we determined that 75% of the surveyed population said they agreed with responsible mining. Selling an anti-mining speech is very easy. Selling an idea based on fear does not require much thought. The vast majority of opposing voices have a personal agenda.
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