The Minister of Natural Resources has formally ordered the reactivation of the mining licence of Romanex Guyana Exploration Ltd, paving the way for that company to undertake exploration and mining in the Marudi Mountain area of Mining District No. 6 Rupununi.
A release yesterday from the Ministry of Natural Resources said that the area had been beset by irregular mining, with persons occupying lands in the area after operations of Romanex had ceased sometime ago. Romanex has been operating here since 2008 but has not been able to get its mining operations going for a variety of reasons. The release said that the Minister’s decision to approve the operations follows a process of verification, meetings and engagements held between the mining company, the Rupununi Miners Association and the Guyana Women Miners Organisation on the best way forward.
More than 300 small-scale gold miners who had been working in and around the Marudi Mountain area had called on the government to take urgent steps to regularise their operations in light of recent moves by the Canadian-owned Romanex to resume operations in the area. Residents of South Rupununi had also lodged complaints about the illicit movement of people, weapons and narcotics in the area.
As a result of the various issues, the Ministry of Natural Resources had appointed Major General (Retired) Joe Singh to mediate between the aggrieved parties during the period April 22 to 25, 2016 and an agreement was brokered between the various stakeholders.
One of the terms of this agreement is that the company, on the start of exploration and mining, would accommodate miners seeking to prospect in the area; provided that they abide by the rules of the company and the laws of Guyana, including the non-use of mercury in their recovery.
The release said that Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman was in Lethem over the past weekend, and gave an undertaking that within one month, members of the Closed Area Committee (CAC) and officers of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) would be visiting the area to meet with residents and miners to give anyone displaced by Romanex’s activities an opportunity to submit applications for lands and/or raise other matters.
The release noted that the Marudi Mining Licence (ML) /1-2009 had been in regulatory suspension since October 16, 2014 for issues of non-compliance. Thereafter, Arctex, et al, entered an agreement to purchase the shares of Romanex on March 13, 2015. Arctex then became the de facto owner of the mining licence subject to technical and financial scrutiny.
The release said that following a technical presentation by Arctex/Romanex on April 10, 2015, the GGMC presented Arctex/Romanex with an MOU in July 2015.
The release said that the restart of Romanex’s activities will be done according to an approved work plan, which will be monitored by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the GGMC.
