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Aurora mine to produce first gold bar in 14 months – PM Hinds
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds over the weekend visited the Guyana Gold Fields project, the Aurora Gold Mines located in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Region Seven where he was given an update on the progress of work for the soon-to-be-established open pit and underground mining operation.
“The activities have moved from prospecting 10 years ago, and now they are moving into the construction of a plant, and if all goes as planned about 14 months from today they should have their first bar of gold,” the Prime Minister stated in a Government release.
The Aurora Gold Project is designed to produce 3.29 million ounces of gold, averaging 194,000 ounces yearly.
Development of the mining area was known for 100 years before its development, the Prime Minister stated, and “when I visited 10 years ago they were prospecting, and we saw some equipment from some activities from way back.”
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Vic Rozon, General Manager for Aurora Gold Mines during the tour of the construction site.
The Prime Minister added that the operation would start with an open pit and then continue into an underground operation and the possibility of extending the life of the plant or making way for a bigger one, will be explored. The Aurora Gold Mines has a project life of 17 years.
Meanwhile, the company’s General Manager, Vic Rozon, said they started construction in January of this year and a completion date of May 2015 has been set.
Thus far, the company has seen investments from companies in Australia and Peru, and provides employment for hundreds of Guyanese.
“Construction of a road project has begun and we were working on other infrastructure areas such as dams and bridges and airstrips and also getting the mine areas ready for production. There is a lot of work ahead of us, so far we are committed,” Rozon said.
Rozon also stated that he was pleased with the Government’s commitment towards the company in terms of providing the necessary duty-free concession and other support.
Guyana Goldfields is one of South America’s largest gold mines and Guyana’s second largest gold extracting operation since the departure of OMAI in 2005.
It has been operating in Guyana since 1996, conducting explorations and surveys. Up to 900 staff are being employed, the majority of them Guyanese, during the period of 2013 to 2014 for the construction phase. Routine operations will see as many as 500 staff being employed, and according to company officials, up to 95% of the workforce will be local employees.
From its initial launch in 1996 to 2013, about US$192 million has been invested. The sum of US$249 million will be invested from 2013 to 2014, with US$153 million to be spent from 2015 to 2017. The mine is projected to be in operation until 2031.
Guyana Gold Fields has undertaken a comprehensive ESI and the necessary permits to ensure compliance with local laws and international best practices. The company’s management team took a decision to reduce the “carbon footprint” of the site’s mining plant from 2,000 hectares to 1,200 hectares. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission’s Environmental Division will be upgrading their monitoring capability and enforcement capacity to manage and ensure compliance.
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