Dual-listed explorer and developer SolGold is restarting its regional exploration programme in Ecuador, following a hiatus of activities owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and government restrictions.

SolGold has received drilling permits for exploration activities on a number of concessions, including Target 15 (Porvenir), Target 6 (La Hueca) and Cerro Quiroz (Blanca).

“Drill rigs and equipment are being mobilised to these projects and teams are back on the ground in preparation for the commencement of scout drilling,” SolGold said on Monday. 

Drilling permits were pending for Rio Amarillo, Chical, Sharug and Cisne-Loja. 

SolGold operates multiple regional field teams that are exploring and assessing 75 regional concessions across 14 provinces in Ecuador. Thus far, the company has identified 13 priority targets across the regional exploration licences.

"SolGold's comprehensive tenure position across the productive metallogenic belts of Ecuador from north to south in our four operational subsidiaries provides the platform for the discovery of a pipeline of wholly owned and significant copper gold porphyry deposits. We believe that this strategy will see SolGold ultimately emerge as one of the world's premier copper/gold miners.

"SolGold's pre-emptive application for these areas as early as 2014 and the application of proven exploration operations and social programme in a predictable and cooperative regulatory framework, as developed by SolGold at the flagship Alpala project, provides the company with a competitive edge in a substantially under explored sector of the Andean Copper Belt, which in Chile alone accounts for approximately 25% of the world’s copper resources and production,” said CEO Nicholas Mather.

SolGold announced the temporary suspension of all field activities to reduce the possible transmission of Covid-19 on March 25.  During this hiatus, SolGold has been working with all levels of government and local communities, providing and distributing medical supplies and Covid-19-related health information.