Adventus and Salazar push back construction start date for Ecuador mine

Canadian companies Adventus Mining and Salazar Resources pushed back the planned mine construction date of the US$250mn Curipamba gold-silver project in Ecuador.

In a statement, Adventus said construction of the mine is now planned for the second quarter of 2024.

In June, Freddy Salazar, corporate development manager at Salazar Resources, said in an interview with BNamericas that construction was due to begin this October.

However, the decision by Ecuador's constitutional court to suspend an executive decree that allowed environmental consultations for mining and other projects halted both Curipamba and the US$176mn La Plata polymetallic project, as the environmental consultation is a requirement to obtain the license for mine construction.

The decree was targeted by four lawsuits seeking to declare it unconstitutional, in what is considered by some local jurists an abuse of law.

The constitutional court has not issued a ruling on the suits but has kept the decree suspended. The two Canadian companies believe that a decision could be made this month.

Meanwhile, the operators have made progress in other procedures.

Adventus said in a release that it received the certificate from the environment ministry declaring that the project will have no impact on water.

“This important certificate and milestone allows the participants to construct the planned and designed project infrastructure in an area with the presence of surface and ground water sources,” the company said.

Adventus added that the companies continue to advance the permit and license approvals required for the start of construction.

The project already has authorization from the local municipality and design approval from the local municipal fire department for the installation of the infrastructure related to the storage of explosives of the project, prerequisites for the definitive authorization from the armed forces.

Additionally, the first step to obtain the tailings dam construction permit was completed, with the design review and favorable technical report from the energy and mines ministry.

“The design is now under review by the government's agency of regulation and control. A favorable technical report from the agency … is the second and final step prerequisite for the issuance of the tailings dam construction permit,” according to the statement.

The company added that the application for water use permits for the construction of the mine has been submitted and is being reviewed by the environment ministry.