Mining company Romanex Guyana Exploration Limited has applied to the Environ-mental Protection Agency (EPA) for permission to undertake alluvial gold mining at Marudi Mountain in the South Rupununi, Region Nine.
The large-scale project will entail the excavation of mineralized gravel, the establishment of a mineral processing plant for the recovery of gold and the construction of supporting facilities, buildings and road. An EPA notice in the July 29 edition of the Guyana Chronicle said that in accordance with the Environ-mental Protection Act, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required for the mine before any decision to approve or reject the proposed project is taken, since the development may have significant impacts on the environment. The EPA invited members of the public to make written submissions to the agency within 28 days of the notice being published, setting out questions and matters which they require to be answered or considered in the EIA.
According to the project summary, preliminary works will consist of clearing the forested area for development into a surface mine. The forest will be cleared using conventional methods and chainsaws will be used for felling large trees. The timber will be used for construction purposes on site while any surplus will be stockpiled for future use. The summary states that cleared area will be limited to the area identified for ore recovery only. Barren zones within mineralized areas will not be cleared. This will result in small islands of vegetation within areas to be mined, thereby creating conditions for better regeneration of vegetation during reclamation, according to the summary.
As regards ore recovery, the alluvial deposit will be mined by open pit methods in the creeks’ flats. Gold will be recovered by gravity separation using mobile screen and concentrator units. This will allow rehabilitation of mined out areas to occur as work advances, the project summary states.
It said that before mining commences, the creek will be diverted, if necessary, by excavating a channel to connect points on the creek upstream and downstream of the mineralized zone. Pay dirt will be removed by an excavator working in the direction counter to flow in the creeks, that is, from downstream to upstream. Each mineralized zone will be excavated as several ponds consisting of bands. Excavation will only commence on another band after completion of the removal of pay dirt from the preceding band, according to the summary. Each pond will be surrounded by berm, approximately 3 metres high with a 4 metres wide crest.
The Summary states that to minimize impacts associated with discharge from the excavation operation, the gold recovery operation will function in a closed loop for water supply.
“Clear water supply, for gold recovery, will be obtained from the pond which was previously excavated. Water overflow from the previously excavated pond will be limited by the berm surrounding the pond.” It stated that after the completion of mining, the creek bed will be restored to its original depth and alignment and the diversion channel will be backfilled.
The mine will operate 10 hours each work day and will process 600 cubic metres mineralized gravel each day. The equipment has been sized to operate for 350 days per year.
Average production will be 200 000 cubic metres per year at the beginning of the operation and this will increase to 400 000 cubic metres annually in year two and this production level will be maintained for the remainder of the operation, the Summary states.
With regards to processing, the Company plans to utilize the method of gravimetric separation and consequently no chemicals will be used in the process. The process will be comprised of screening, sluicing and concentration.
Currently, Romanex has an exploration camp at Marudi and plans to share the existing camp infrastructure with another mining company, REXMA.
Meanwhile, according to the Summary, an all-weather gravel surfaced roadway, approximately 8 metres wide, will be constructed over the surface on the road linking Marudi to Aishalton, which is 45 kilometres long. A 20 metres corridor will be cleared of vegetation to create this roadway, the summary states. The company also envisions maintaining the 180 kilometres long road from Lethem to Aishalton in the dry season by periodic grading to facilitate transportation of operating supplies into the mine site.
The company also plans to build a 600-metre airstrip at the site while several buildings will be constructed to support the operations. These will include a maintenance workshop and warehouse, administration building, laboratory and mill office.
In April, Romanex and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) had inked the licence for the company to mine at Marudi. Acting GGMC head, William Woolford had told this newspaper last year that Romanex was one of two companies granted licences for large-scale gold mining and was looking to produce between 50,000 to 100,000 ounces of gold per year.
Earlier this year, Stabroek News had reported that Shoreham Resources Limited, a Canadian exploration company had exercised an option to acquire 75% of the shares of Romanex, which is held by Infinito Gold Corporation (formerly Vannessa Ventures Incorporated). A press release from Shoreham had also announced that the company had signed an agreement with a French mining company Rexma Participacions (Rexma), for that company to work in Shoreham’s Marudi Mountain Gold Project. The release had said that French gold mining company is looking to begin production at Marudi by November 1 and had committed to major expansion of production capacity within the next two years.
