EcoLur
The official website of Nature Protection Ministry informs that “Geoteam” CJSC has submitted to Nature Protection Ministry the technical report on the heap leaching of gold from Amoulsar mine. Nevertheless, this report is not displayed on the website and people can’t get acquainted with these documents. But the official website of Geoteam Company displays a document entitled “Technical Regulations of Heap Leaching Process and Gold Extraction from Ore of Gold-bearing Quartzites of Amoulsar Mine.” According to this document, the mine possessed 80.7 million tons of ore, under preliminary estimates, with 52,664 kg of gold and 210.51 tons of silver. The production should operate 365 days per year with annual processing capacity of 5,000,000 tons or ore. Development duration is 24 years. Per year the company intends to produce 139,856 ounces of gold, 138,248 ounces of silver and they will use 2000 tons of cyanide of sodium for this purpose.
Reminder: the positive opinion of the environmental expertise issued by Nature Protection Ministry to Amoulsar project says: “To be guided with the provisions of RA Law “On Lake Sevan” in locating the gold extraction plant.” This requirement of the expertise is based on the negative opinion issued to Amoulsar project by Scientific-Expert Committee on Lake Sevan Ecosystem Conservation by the National Academy of Sciences of RA. In its turn, the Committee was guided by RA Law “On Lake Sevan”, which prohibits any ore processing activities in the drainage area of Lake Sevan, which also includes Vorotan and Arpa Rivers, where the gold extracting plant may be located.
The shareholders of Amoulsar project are IFC and EBRD.
December 04, 2012 at 16:51