The Brisbane company pursued by BHP and Newcrest Mining expects its Ecuadorian mine to rival Australia's Olympic Dam for annual copper production.

New studies into SolGold's Alpala project envisage a mine costing between $US2.4 billion ($3.5 billion) and $US2.8 billion to build, and closer to $US10 billion over a lifespan of between 49 and 66 years.