Environment and Energy updates the regulations for IDB loan 4989/OC-EC

The Ministry of Environment and Energy officialized the update of the Project Operating Manual (POM) for loan contract 4989/OC-EC with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), through Ministerial Agreement MAE-MAE-2026-0083-AM. The instrument was signed on September 14, 2026, in Quito by Minister Juan Carlos Damián Blum Baquero and was published in the Sixth Supplement of the Official Registry No. 385 on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, spanning 78 pages. The regulation repeals the previous manual and establishes the rules for the execution and expenditure of the multilateral financing.

The POM governs the execution of the “Sustainable Management Program for Subsurface Resources and Associated Infrastructure” (EC-L1257), financed by the contract signed on December 22, 2020, between the Republic of Ecuador and the IDB for up to USD 78,400,000 with a five-year disbursement period. The executing agencies are the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MAE) and the Geological and Energy Research Institute (IIGE).

The update—Version 2, August 2026—responds to the need to harmonize the document with the ministry’s new name and institutional structure, the current composition of the Project Management Unit, and applicable regulations, in addition to defining common internal policies and procedures to streamline the procurement of goods, works, services, and consultancy.

Components and investment projects

The regulation distributes the program’s execution into three components:

• Component 1, “Strengthening of strategic sectoral management,” managed by the MAE.
• Component 2, “Generation of information on the geological potential of the Ecuadorian territory,” managed by the IIGE.
• Component 3, “Promotion of sustainable investments in the energy sector,” managed by the MAE.

The document also details the investment projects that channel the resources, identified by their Unique Project Code (CUP):

• “Sustainable Management Program for the Strategic Sector of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources and Associated Infrastructure,” CUP 144190000.0000.385885, implemented by the MAE.
• “Geological Research and Availability of Mineral Resource Occurrences in the Ecuadorian Territory,” CUP 144270000.0000.375789, implemented by the IIGE.
• “Study for the implementation of the Pilot Monitoring Center for tailings deposits applied to large-scale mines in Ecuador,” CUP 144270000.0000.385666, implemented by the IIGE.

IDB No-objection and prior processing

The formalization culminated a staggered procedure before the multilateral bank. The MAE, through its authorized signature, submitted the update proposal via Official Letter No. MAE-CBID-2026-0026-O dated August 15, 2026, with a copy to the other executing agency. The IDB issued its statement of no objection via communication No. O-CAN/CEC-853/2026 dated September 1, 2026.

Subsequently, the favorable technical report, submitted via memorandum No. MAE-CBID-2026-0309-M dated September 3, 2026, and the favorable legal report from the General Legal Coordination, via Memorandum No. MAE-COGEJ-2026-1189-ME dated September 7, 2026, were added. The agreement stipulates that the Project Management Unit shall socialize the regulation across all administrative units and that the General Secretariat shall manage its publication in the Official Registry.

Team, execution, and validity

For the management of the program within the MAE, the regulation defines its own management unit composed of a general coordinator, a financial specialist, two procurement specialists, four technical specialists in mining, hydrocarbons, and social and environmental issues, and a monitoring and evaluation analyst, all funded by loan resources.

The execution of the agreement and the regulation is entrusted to the Vice Ministry of Mines, the Vice Ministry of Hydrocarbons, the Vice Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, the Strategic Territorial and Information Undersecretariat, the Project Management Unit, the General Coordination of Planning and Strategic Management, and the General Administrative Financial Coordination. The instrument entered into force upon its signing, without prejudice to its publication, and a copy must be sent to the IDB and the other executing agency must be informed about the modified sections.

The adjustment is significant because the ROP is an integral part of the loan contract and is mandatory for all actors linked to the program: it defines how financing of USD 78.4 million—destined to strengthen the management of the mining and energy sector and to generate geological information of the Ecuadorian territory—is acquired, accounted for, and disbursed.

Source: Official Registry, Sixth Supplement No. 385, Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Section I, p. 1 (official reference: Ministerial Agreement No. MAE-MAE-2026-0083-AM).