Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
Results for “pipeline”Clear
Ecuador’s largest gold mine exported a record $1.8 billion in 2025 — a 51% jump from the prior year — as gold prices topped $5,000 per ounce for the first time. Lundin Gold just announced $100 million in new exploration spending and discovered a fifth copper-gold deposit, signaling the mining boom is just getting started.
What started as a tariff dispute has spiraled into a full trade war between neighbors. Ecuador slapped 30% duties on Colombian imports; Colombia responded by suspending electricity sales and threatening counter-tariffs on 23 Ecuadorian products. The pipeline tariff jumped from $3 to $30 per barrel.
Ecuador signed a bilateral mining framework with the United States at the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial on February 4. The agreement positions Ecuador's copper and gold reserves as strategically important to Washington -- and adds fuel to the mining debate in Azuay.
High-level negotiations in Quito on February 6 ended without resolving the mutual 30% tariffs between Ecuador and Colombia. Both countries are blaming each other. Here's what it means for prices, energy, and daily life.
A high-level Colombian delegation arrives in Quito today for emergency talks aimed at resolving the reciprocal 30% tariff war that has brought bilateral trade to a near standstill and suspended Colombian electricity exports.
Thirty-percent tariffs, suspended electricity exports, a 900% pipeline fee hike, and border protests — the Ecuador-Colombia trade war is escalating fast. Here's how it could affect your daily life.
