Tickers: XTSX:BQE, PINX:BTQNF
Tags: #Environment
VANCOUVER, BC - TheNewswire - July 14, 2020 - BQE Water Inc. (TSXV:BQE), a leader in the management of mine wastewaters and metallurgical bleed streams, has signed two agreements with EcuaCorriente SA (ECSA), an Ecuadorian subsidiary of a Chinese consortium consisting of China Railway Construction Corporation and Tonglin Nonferrous Metals Group, to prepare an adaptive mine water management plan and to improve the design of an existing water treatment plant for the El Mirador mine that it owns and operates in Southeastern Ecuador.
The first contract is for an assessment of the water treatment plant and a water management plan that is adaptive over the life of the mine based on water flow and quality that will be monitored as part of the plan. Added to this is a second contract to provide technical support for implementing immediate improvements in the engineering design and operation of the existing water treatment facility to increase its robustness and reduce both project risks and long-term operating costs.
"We selected BQE Water for their unique technical expertise, their successful track record in the design and operation of large water treatment plants for major Chinese mining producers, and for their ability to support project execution utilizing personnel from their South American, China and Canadian offices," stated Mr. Qiaofeng Xu, the Project Director for ECSA.
Songlin Ye, Vice President for Asia at BQE Water, commented, "Our ability to do business with large Chinese metal producers and the success of our water treatment operations in China were instrumental in securing these new contracts. The El Mirador project is significant for BQE Water as it showcases our unique strength to be a trusted water services provider for mining projects with Chinese interests at a time when Chinese investment in global mining projects can be expected to grow."
Oscar Lopez, General Manager for Latin America at BQE Water adds, "This is also an important project for us as it represents the first large mining project where BQE Water will be the technical lead for the overall site water management plan rather than focus only on water treatment. And with the long time horizon for water treatment at El Mirador, the current contracts may provide an opportunity for further cooperation between our two companies to support EcuaCorriente to reduce life cycle costs and conduct mining operations in an environmentally friendly manner at El Mirador."
The El Mirador mine is a large copper-gold porphyry project that was brought into production in 2019. It is expected to produce an average over 200 million pounds of copper and 60,000 ounces of gold annually for the next 30 years. The project site is located in a net positive water balance environment and will require ECSA to treat and discharge mine water into the environment throughout the project life. As production ramps-up and the mine footprint increases, both the volume of water requiring treatment and the water composition will change.
About BQE Water
BQE Water is a service provider specializing in water treatment and management for metals mining, smelting and refining. We are helping to transform the way the industry thinks about water in the context of natural resource projects by offering services and expertise which enables more sustainable water management practices and improved overall project performance at reduced risks. BQE Water invests in innovation and has developed unique intellectual property through the commercialization of several new technologies at mine sites around the world for organizations including Glencore, Jiangxi Copper, Freeport-McMoRan and the US EPA. BQE Water is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol BQE. Visit www.bqewater.com for more information.
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For further information please contact:
BQE Water Inc.
Suite 250 - 900 Howe Street
Vancouver BC Canada V6Z 2M4
David Kratochvil, President & CEO
Heman Wong, CFO
604-685-1243 or 1-800-537-3073
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