Armenia's investigative committee says there are no grounds for criminal prosecution against Amulsar project
15.08.2019,
15:32
Toronto-based Lydian International Limited announced that the Special Investigative Committee of Armenia (ICA) released the report provided to it on August 7, 2019 on the environmental audit conducted by Earth Link & Advanced Resources Development on the Amulsar Project.
YEREVAN, August 15, /ARKA/ Toronto-based Lydian International Limited announced that the Special Investigative Committee of Armenia (ICA) released the report provided to it on August 7, 2019 on the environmental audit conducted by Earth Link & Advanced Resources Development on the Amulsar Project.
In a statement, Lydian quoted Hayk Grigoryan, the head of ICA, as saying that the investigative body had analyzed the information and findings provided by the international audit report and found there were no grounds for criminal prosecution and continuation of criminal proceedings against the company.
The audit focused on the “wilful concealing of information about pollution of the environment by officials related to the exploitation of the Amulsar gold mine” and was started in March this year.
Earth Link & Advanced Resources Development (ELARD) in association with TRC Environmental Corporation (ELARD-TRC Team) was retained by the Investigative Committee of Armenia to conduct an independent, third-party assessment of the impacts of the Amulsar Mine on water resources and geology, biodiversity and air quality.
Grigoryan said today the three main points of the report allow to draw the following conclusions: - there is no connection between the groundwater of Amulsar and the thermal springs of Jermuk; - there is no connection between the groundwater of Amulsar and the basin of Lake Sevan, however, in the event of an earthquake, a certain amount of acid drainage can penetrate the Spandaryan-Kechut tunnel, but the ratio of this concentration to the volume of the lake is insignificant; - the impact of Amulsar groundwater on the Darb, Vorotan and Arpa rivers is possible, but if Lydian Armenia implements 16 mitigation measures recommended by an international expert group, then these risks will be manageable.
“The company yesterday got acquainted with this conclusion, and before that, it was involved in working with ELARD experts. The company's experts are ready to implement 15 of the proposed 16 mitigation measures. Of these, 10 have already been implemented, and 5 are ready for implementation in the future,” he said.
“In order to receive funds from the World Bank, the company will have to bring its activities in line with IFC standards, which provide for mitigation measures after a field has been in operation for 100 years. ELARD experts propose that the company be guided by the standards of Nevada, which provide for the application of these measures for 500 years, ”said Grigoryan.
In his turn, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the members of the government will get acquainted with the provided expert opinion and on the basis of it they will come to a conclusion.
Lydian is a gold developer focused on construction at its 100%-owned Amulsar Gold Project, located in south-central Armenia. However, illegal blockades have prevented access to Amulsar since late June 2018. Amulsar is expected to be a large-scale, low-cost operation with production targeted to average approximately 225,000 ounces annually over an initial 10-year mine life. -0-
In a statement, Lydian quoted Hayk Grigoryan, the head of ICA, as saying that the investigative body had analyzed the information and findings provided by the international audit report and found there were no grounds for criminal prosecution and continuation of criminal proceedings against the company.
The audit focused on the “wilful concealing of information about pollution of the environment by officials related to the exploitation of the Amulsar gold mine” and was started in March this year.
Earth Link & Advanced Resources Development (ELARD) in association with TRC Environmental Corporation (ELARD-TRC Team) was retained by the Investigative Committee of Armenia to conduct an independent, third-party assessment of the impacts of the Amulsar Mine on water resources and geology, biodiversity and air quality.
Grigoryan said today the three main points of the report allow to draw the following conclusions: - there is no connection between the groundwater of Amulsar and the thermal springs of Jermuk; - there is no connection between the groundwater of Amulsar and the basin of Lake Sevan, however, in the event of an earthquake, a certain amount of acid drainage can penetrate the Spandaryan-Kechut tunnel, but the ratio of this concentration to the volume of the lake is insignificant; - the impact of Amulsar groundwater on the Darb, Vorotan and Arpa rivers is possible, but if Lydian Armenia implements 16 mitigation measures recommended by an international expert group, then these risks will be manageable.
“The company yesterday got acquainted with this conclusion, and before that, it was involved in working with ELARD experts. The company's experts are ready to implement 15 of the proposed 16 mitigation measures. Of these, 10 have already been implemented, and 5 are ready for implementation in the future,” he said.
“In order to receive funds from the World Bank, the company will have to bring its activities in line with IFC standards, which provide for mitigation measures after a field has been in operation for 100 years. ELARD experts propose that the company be guided by the standards of Nevada, which provide for the application of these measures for 500 years, ”said Grigoryan.
In his turn, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the members of the government will get acquainted with the provided expert opinion and on the basis of it they will come to a conclusion.
Lydian is a gold developer focused on construction at its 100%-owned Amulsar Gold Project, located in south-central Armenia. However, illegal blockades have prevented access to Amulsar since late June 2018. Amulsar is expected to be a large-scale, low-cost operation with production targeted to average approximately 225,000 ounces annually over an initial 10-year mine life. -0-
