construction at FDNIt was reported in El Nuevo Herald yesterday that mining ministry said construction at FDN will begin immediately following the signing of the contract in July. As many already know there has been a tandem effort underway for months to bring highly pollutive, illegal mining to a halt. We're not talking about someone with a pick and shovel; government is serious and literally
blowing up heavy equipment used in the illegal operations in order to stop pollution here and now. The industry and regulators will be better off once the mess is under control and these large contracts are off their plate.
****
05/31/2011
Equador: Mining industry with potential of 200 thousand million dollars.
The Associated Press QUITO -- Equator counts on 14 large gold mining industry projects and copper that arrive at 200,000 million dollars, reported Monday the minister of non-Renewable Natural Resources, Wilson Pastor.
In statements to the network of television Ecuavisa, affirmed that "these 200,000 million (of dollars) they cover 14 mining projects, the three first that are going to initiate, they have an approximate investment of 3,500 million dollars in two years".
He said that the construction phase, that would generate enormous work and labor will begin "immediately after the signing of the contracts in July, and we expect that in two years we have production of copper and gold", in mines located in the north and south of the country.
For this year he is anticipated to subscribe contracts with the Canadian companies ECSA, Kinross-Aurelian and the American one IMC, and in the 2012 with the Canadian Iamgold and ECSA, in other projects.
He clarified that "there is not intangible zones neither protected inside these territories" that will be part of the mine.
He said that this process of development of the mining sectorhas been carries out "with the support of the better technicians of the world, Peruvian, Chilean, American, and Canadian technicians have come, assessing us so that the thing be carried out of friendly and completely technical way with the environment".
In Equador important reserves of gold exist (3.92 million ounces), silver (72.4 million) and copper (8.1 million), although the works of exploitation to great scale are found in phase of exploration, but small craft miners exploit chiefly gold in sections zones of the country.
About the decision of the authorities to impede the illegal mining industry, even by means of the destruction of heavy machinery with the one that gold was exploited the north of the country, near the border with Colombia, Pastor indicated that is part of the desire of "to begin the regularization of the true miners".
In the zone of the populations of San Lorenzo and of Eloy Alfaro the informal miners have left "a devastating landscape that hides not only an illegal mine... but is causing a great damage to the health of the inhabitants".
It added that "we will begin with the inventory of the environmental damages caused, we will zone the zones where would be able to do the mine craft and small mining industry normalized, subsequently support with the Mining National Business will be given so that they do it in technical form, precautelando the environment and the health of the workers and the populations that inhabit downstream".
https://www.elnuevoherald.com/2011/05/30/951389/ecuador-mineria-con-potencial.html
.