“Meta Gold” LLC plans to conduct exploratory works in the Gladzor polymetallic deposit located in Vayots Dzor Region with the goal of potential future extraction of mineral resources. To that end, the company has scheduled the first public consultation regarding its proposed operations on July 7, 2025, at 18:00, in the Yeghegnadzor Community Cultural Center.
According to Armenia’s Electronic Government Registry, “Meta Gold” LLC was recently founded - on May 23, 2025.
On the official website of the Yeghegnadzor Municipality, the announcement about the upcoming public hearing is accompanied by a brief description of the Gladzor deposit provided by the company. The document outlines geological works conducted at the site since the 1920s. According to this summary, the most recent recalculation of the deposit’s reserves occurred in 2009. Following the re-evaluation of the ore reserves based on updated conditional parameters, the deposit was estimated to contain 14.47 million tons of C and C2 category ores across 40 mineral veins, including: 628,370 tons of lead, 711,440 tons of zinc, 63,400 tons of copper, 9,789 kg of gold, 201.18 tons of silver, 2,605.3 tons of cadmium.
The document notes that following the previous geological surveys, “Meta Gold” LLC initiated and received Subsoil Use Right No. YTH-29/309 from RA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure on February 26, 2021, which was meant to allow for the reassessment of the Gladzor deposit in office-based conditions.
(However, according to the Ministry’s October 10, 2023, informational report on geological studies for mineral extraction, the company was not granted a full soil management right, but rather a three-year permit to conduct geological exploration.)
According to another document published on the Yeghegnadzor Municipality website, Ministerial Order No. 2087-A, dated September 5, 2024, based on Expert Conclusion No. 84 from August 12, 2024, approved the need to carry out new geological studies in the Gladzor polymetallic deposit.
“Meta Gold” LLC has committed to carrying out the following tasks to gather existing data and supplement it with new findings. The proposed works include: refinement of coordinate grids in existing cartographic appendices, surveying of specific local areas, topographic work if needed, repair of access roads and inter-plot paths leading to the deposit, restoration and construction of drilling platforms for core sampling, experimental extraction for metallurgical testing under factory conditions.
The company also intends to sign a contract with the local community to allocate 1% of its annual revenue to the municipality, which is estimated to amount to approximately 100 million AMD.
The public hearing announcement posted on the Yeghegnadzor Municipality website also includes a statement from an initiative group opposing the exploration and exploitation of the Gladzor polymetallic deposit. This document reflects local residents’ concerns and arguments regarding the risks of mining activities, along with signatures of citizens opposing mining.
The concerned public has also expressed criticism regarding the brief description of the project submitted by “Meta Gold” LLC, stating:
“The brief description of the deposit and the schematic overview submitted by ‘Meta Gold’ LLC are incomplete and inadequate. The document fails to examine or include many of the risks associated with exploration and extraction. According to the law, the company should have provided a simplified industrial process diagram from exploration to extraction, which is missing. It also does not address the risks associated with uranium-bearing layers and high lead concentrations within the deposit.
The deposit is located within a specially protected natural area - the Yeghegnadzor Sanctuary. There are foreseeable risks to flora and fauna, and the government has proposed expanding the boundaries of the sanctuary. The absence of a hydrogeological map and the potential for underground waters rich in heavy metals to infiltrate the Arpa-Sevan tunnel is also deeply concerning.”
The initiative group opposing the project is urging community members to voice their opposition during the upcoming public consultation. Their statement says:
“We believe that the exploration activities proposed in the project by ‘Meta Gold’ LLC and the current technologies used in the mining industry are incompatible with our way of life. Assessing the risks involved, we express a negative opinion.
Dear Vayots Dzor residents, we must reach a decision: can we continue to live in our beautiful homeland with mines as neighbors, or will we too be forced to abandon our homes, leaving behind the graves of our ancestors?”
July 07, 2025 at 13:58