Recovering gold from river gravels.
Haides Rio is located on the Río Pindo in El Oro Province, Ecuador, and forms part of the Volador Haides Rio programme. It is an alluvial project: the gold is associated with river-deposited sands and gravels, rather than the underground veins found at Paccha Vista. This supports an open-pit approach with excavation, washing and gravity-based mineral recovery.
Quatro Metales’ intended role centres on developing and operating the project with the concession partners. The near-term work brings together the commercial framework, machinery, site coordination and operating preparations needed to move into production.
From excavation to gold recovery.
The operating concept starts with excavators moving gold-bearing material to the processing area. Screening and washing separate the coarse material, while gravity concentration uses the density of gold to recover it from the remaining sediment.
The staged approach allows mining and plant capacity to be matched as operations develop. Equipment availability, maintenance, water management and consistent feed to the plant are central to the operating plan.
Rehabilitation alongside recovery.
The project sits within a region affected by historic and artisanal mining. Quatro Metales’ stated approach connects mineral recovery with the management and treatment of affected material, with rehabilitation forming part of the development objectives.
The aim is to build environmental improvement into the operation through material handling, pollution reduction and restoration planning. These are project objectives; verified outcomes will depend on implementation and monitoring.
Its role in the portfolio.
Haides Rio is the company’s nearer-term alluvial development opportunity. It complements Paccha Vista’s underground mining experience and the larger staged development concept at Sabaleta, giving Quatro Metales exposure to different deposit types and operating methods.
Production commencement remains linked to definitive project arrangements, the relevant approvals and mobilisation. No commissioning date or production rate is represented here as an achieved operating result.