ArmInfo.The Armenian government bears full responsibility for the deterioration of the environment, water and air in the Amulsar field in case any environmental problem occurs. This is stated in the warning of "Lydian" company received by the ArmInfo.
According to the source, since June 2018, Lydian, because of the blockade of roads, has not been able to resume work at the Amulsar field. Not only the construction work was not carried out, but also the construction of protective environmental protection systems, in order to manage erosion due to heavy spring precipitation and surface water, in accordance with the conditions and permits issued to the company. Lydian informed the government that the company was not responsible for any environmental problems, including the exclusion of surface waters, the occurrence of which was the result of the government's inability to take measures to eliminate the illegal blockade from June 2018.
"Lydian" has repeatedly applied to the government to take the necessary actions. This winter, heavy snowfall was recorded at the Amulsar deposit. Under the conditions of illegal blocking, it was not possible to build systems to prevent the appearance of surface water. These activities had to be carried out before snowfall. In the event of resumption of work, it will take months to complete the construction of water management systems. In this situation, the Armenian government bears full responsibility for the deterioration of the environment, water and air in the Amulsar field in case any environmental problem occurs, the company warns.
To note over the recent six months, protest actions were held against several mining companies, including the Amulsar program, protesters blocked roads and created obstacles for employees. The protests against the Amulsar project led to a confrontation with the staff of Lydian Armenia, who demanded that the protesters not interfere with their right to work. Participants in the protest declared that there are environmental problems, which the company refutes.
Lydian Armenia is a subsidiary of British Lydian International, whose shareholders are major international institutional investors. The Amulsar project is the largest industrial project in Armenia today for the development of the Amulsar gold deposit, with a total value of $ 370 million. Preparatory work has been going on since 2006. The life of the Amulsar deposit should have been 10 years and 4 months; it was planned to mine an average of 200 thousand ounces of gold (about 10 million tons of ore) annually. The Amulsar program envisaged the creation of 1,300 jobs during construction (construction work will last about 2 years) and 650-700 jobs during the entire field operation.