Aysor.am
According to Ruzanna Grigoryan, PR Manager of GeoProMining Company, the gold reserves in Sotq deposit are specified. It should be noted that still in 2005 the gold reserves in Sotq were assessed 80 tons in accordance with the standards of JORC.
GPM Gold company, a member of GeoProMining Company Group, produces from 30 to 40 ounces of gold per year, and now the company is working on the investment program that intends to bring production up to 80-100 ounces per year (1 ounce = 31,1034768 g) due to re-equipment of Ararat Gold Recovery Factory.
R. Grigoryan said that at present the production makes up 640 thousand tons of ore. At the same time, Inga Zarafyan, President of EcoLur, insists that the company exceeds environmental standards, while dust burden goes up together with production increase. Under her assessment, technical safety is in a bad condition. “Deposits are developed in an unarranged and step-by-step manner with а great drop in heights; there is a high probability for collapses. Explosions are set off during the development prohibited by law, but the company denies this fact.”
R. Grigoryan assured that the company ensures safety for employees based on the requirements of safety, protection of labor and machinery as prescribed by law (the company employs 600 people, out of which 350 people are employed in the mine). The development in the mine is carried out in an open-cast manner, but in near future the company intends to pass on to deep mining. In reply to the question, whether explosions are actually set off, she said: “If there is method in the world that allows developing a deposit without explosions, the company would be much grateful for the new invention. The deposit is being developed in accordance with the project undergone examination by dozens of experts.”
The fact that Sotq development doesn’t comply with environmental requirements was confirmed by Karine Danielyan, Chairman of “For Sustainable Human Development” Association.
November 27, 2009