BN Americas29 Mar 2025 12:49
“Ecuador has great potential and must adopt long-term state policies that address growing demand, especially for critical minerals, Santiago Yépez, former president of the mining chamber, told BNamericas.
It is essential for Ecuador to have clear regulations, the necessary openness to investment, and to be a competitive mining jurisdiction, said Rodrigo Darquea, BHP's director of corporate affairs for Latin America.
"The stars are aligning for Ecuador. Gold and copper [the country's two main minerals] are experiencing a unique moment. We are living a historic moment in the world, and if we do it right as Ecuadorans, we can take advantage of this opportunity and generate thousands of opportunities for Ecuadorans," Darquea said in a talkshow hosted by the mining chamber.
The BHP executive referred to the record prices of gold and copper, as well as the global energy transition.
Ecuador has several copper projects in the pipeline, the largest being Warintza, owned by Solaris Resources; Panantza-San Carlos and Mirador Norte – at the Mirador mine owned by China's EcuaCorriente; and Cascabel, owned by SolGold, with its large Alpala copper-gold deposit”