ArmInfo. In the event of gaining access to the Amulsar mine, Lydian International plans to resume construction work no earlier than in April-May 2020. Further, if everything goes according to the schedule, the first gold bar is expected no earlier than the end of 2020 or the first quarter of 2021. The Interim President of Lydian International, Edward Sellers stated this during a regular discussion in the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the Amulsar program.
Thus, according to the video posted by Pashinyan on his Facebook page, during the discussion on September 7, the head of the Armenian government first of all asked the company representatives for guarantees regarding the prevention of negative environmental consequences in the form of pollution of soil, air, water and biodiversity for the city of Jermuk (the Amulsar gold mine is located 10 kilometers from Jermuk -ed. note) and neighboring communities. In response, Edward Sellers said the company was not interested in pollution and environmental damage. He reaffirmed the company’s obligations under the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment), which would mean the conservation of biodiversity and mitigation of environmental threats.
Then Nikol Pashinyan asked the responsible state officials whether Armenia had the tools and levers for registering and responding to all kinds of violations. As the Minister of the Nature Protection Erik Grigoryan pointed out, according to the legislation of Armenia, from January 1, 2018, all mining companies are required to monitor the quality of air, water, biodiversity, waste and provide data not only to the authorized body, but also publish them. According to those in charge of the field, in case of detection of environmental risks and violation of obligations undertaken by the Lydian management, the mine operator company will be given 90 days to eliminate the violations. Otherwise, the mine will be closed.
Summing up the discussion, Nikol Pashinyan noted that the Lydian company at the highest level confirms the commitments made under the EIA. “This means that the quality of air, water, soil, fauna and biodiversity will not change as a result of the operation of the mine,” he explained. In addition, as the prime minister pointed out, Lydian is ready to provide the Government of Armenia and civil society representatives with access to the data of the monitoring conducted by the company. “We also record that in case of deviation from the EIA, the company is given a certain period of time to bring the work in line with the document. We also note that by the end of 2020 the Armenian government will have its own monitoring system, which does not cancel the shared use of Lydian’s monitoring system’s capabilities”, Nikol Pashinyan concluded.
To recall, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said live on Facebook today that at the moment there are no legal grounds to prohibit the operation of the Amulsar mine. Nikol Pashinyan also officially called on the residents of Jermuk to unblock all roads leading to the Amulsar mine.
The reaction of the Jermuk residents was not long in coming – the residents of the resort city said that the situation in the community was tense and they were offended by the call of the prime minister. According to them, Jermuk residents are not going to open the road. So, as stated in the statement of the initiative group “I am against the mining industry in Amulsar”, today at 8:30pm the residents of the resort town of Jermuk will gather for a private discussion in connection with the call to unblock the roads to Amulsar. “After the discussion, we will make a statement. Amulsar is our homeland and that’s final,” the statement reads.
To note, Lydian Armenia is a subsidiary of the British Lydian International. The life of the deposit will be 10 years and 4 months, with an average of 200 thousand ounces of gold planned to be mined annually. Amulsar field is the second largest reserve in Armenia. According to the company, the deposit contains about 73733 kg of gold with an average grade of 0.78 g per ton, as well as 294.367 tons of silver with an average grade 9.29 g per ton.
The operation of the field will allow to increase the country’s GDP by 1% – 4%, 1% of which will be a direct impact. Finished products, which will be almost completely exported, will be about $ 250 million. As a result, the impact on export growth is estimated at about 10%.
Nevertheless, local ecologists do not share the enthusiasm of the government about the attractiveness of the mine exploitation plan. The Amulsar mine is located in the valley of the Arpa and Vorotan rivers, in the immediate vicinity of the spa town of Jermuk, famous for its mineral springs, and not far from the largest freshwater lake in the region, Sevan. Environmentalists fear that the exploitation of the field, during which sodium cyanide will be used, could lead to the oxidation of water in rivers. Contaminated waters will become unsuitable for drinking and irrigation and may cause irreparable harm to the mineral springs of Jermuk and the ecosystem of Sevan.