In the Mirador mine, a second phase is already being planned, which will increase production from 60,000 to 140,000 tons per day.

The open pit at the Mirador mine, operated by the Chinese company Ecuacorriente, already has a complex system of ramps to the bottom of the mountain. At least 170 trucks transporting mineralized and other waste travel on these roads or ramps daily.

The dozens of normal trucks that sometimes travel in caravans look tiny next to the new electric dump trucks that have been part of the mining operation’s fleet since last April. In April, ten dump trucks with a loading capacity of 230 tons each to the crusher were acquired, as well as two hydraulic backhoes of 23 m3.

All these cars are moving non-stop, between a little fog and sometimes light rain that makes the road muddy. However, at exactly 6 p.m., it is no longer possible to continue. It is time for blasting, that is, for blasting with explosives that will allow better access to the mineral product.

According to company data, between January and October 2023, the volume of copper concentrate production was 502,200 tons (wet weight), and the sales volume of copper concentrate was 483,900 tons (wet weight). These are higher figures compared to the same period last year, in which the volume of copper concentrate production from January to October 2022 was 464,500 tons (wet weight), and the volume of copper concentrate sales was 478,100 tons (wet weight).

All mineralized material travels at least 20,000 kilometers, from Puerto Bolívar in the province of El Oro to refineries in China, where the mineral itself is extracted.

Expansion plans

Mirador currently has plans to expand. It is looking to expand the current project, which produces 60,000 tons of mineralized rock per day, to include phase two, or Mirador Norte, which would produce 140,000 tons.

With this new expansion, there will be a new mine pit, new conveyor lines and a new facility, which will be located next to the current facility. In this sense, the company is still in the phase of feasibility and design and expansion of the project in terms of production. In any case, it has the approval of the Chinese government and the environmental permit.

Currently, the mine generates approximately 3,290 direct jobs (including contractors) and 15,000 indirect jobs; while the company states that in 2022, $284 million in taxes were paid and $372 million in goods and services were purchased. Of that, about 179 million dollars was acquired in the area of ​​influence itself.

In the mine, which is an open pit, there are locations from which the mineral material has already been removed and are now in the process of revegetation and reforestation, explains Vilma Pazmiño, head of environmental management. The modality of hydroseeding could even be confirmed in several sectors. It’s a technique where the seeds of native plants are inserted using only a pressurized hose and they grow almost immediately.

Mirador opened its doors last week to show the conditions of the two tailings dams that exist in its concession: Quimi (North) and Tundayme (South). The first, in the technical process of closing, and the second, which has a useful life of several years and is predicted to be one of the highest in the world. And they deny that a possible environmental disaster could happen, after environmental associations presented a study that talks about the possible risk of demolishing their tailings.