Canadian company BQE Water signed two new contract deals for the formation of an adaptive mine water management plan and current plan enhancement for the El Mirador copper mine in southeastern Ecuador.
Deals were made with EcuaCorriente SA (ECSA), part of a Chinese consortium that includes China Railway Construction and Tonglin Nonferrous Metals Group.
According to BQE, its first contract includes assessing the mine’s water treatment plant and water management program to make it adaptive over the mine’s lifespan, and also monitor flow and quality.
The second contract will provide technical support for “immediate improvements” to the current water facility’s engineering design and operation.
The El Mirador copper-gold operation first began producing in 2019 and has a 30-year estimated life span.