Tweet
FROZEN STATUS OF FIOLETOVO MINING EXPERTISE CAN BE MELTED DOWN
18:12 February 04, 2015
EcoLur
The issue of Fioletovo gold mining project continues remaining worrying
for several reasons: Fioletovo open pit mining submitted by "Grade
Redmet" Company high risks of environmental pollution, which are
not laid down in the project in any way. Information in the project
is marred starting from gold concentration. Under the project, gold
concentration is from 2.5 g to 5.5 g, but if to compare these data
with the scientific data (F. G. SHAMTSYAN, S. U. VARTANYAN, ABOUT GOLD
CONTAINING STRUCTURE AND PROSPECTS OF SOUTH EASTERN AND CENTRAL PARTS
OF SEVAN-AMASSIYA TECTONIC ZONE IN ARMENIA, Yerevan State University,
3, 2010), the article says completely different figures - 1.7-2.4-2.7
g of gold per ton. Taking into consideration that the company hadn't
carried out any prospecting before the environmental expertise,
it's clear that official sources were used, but the company project
figures are overstated by twice.
The project doesn't say anything about accompanying metals (besides
silver), the presence of which bears high pollution risks during
ore crushing. Sotq mine has similar geological formations, while as
a result of Sotq mine, Masrik and Sotq - rivers in the Sevan basin,
were polluted with such elements as cadmium, vanadium and antimony. The
concentration of vanadium in Lake Sevan exceeds the MPC by 5-8 times,
which is a highly toxic element and an indicator of chemical pollution
in developed European countries.
Thus, the main artery of Tavush Region, Aghstev River, is undermined,
as its right bank is considered to be gold-bearing. Dilijan National
Park neighboring with Fioletovo is also endangered. Under the project,
mining wastes make up 3 million cum, which will be dumped in an area
of 4 ha. As a matter of fact, these are industrial wastes - crushed
and spread into environment polluting the area with a radius of 25-30
km from the center. In case of mining pollution areas take place in
such scales.
Fioletovo mine has "gold" relatives nearby in Dilijan. Dilijan
gold mine is similar to Fioletovo mine with its parameters. And
consequently, "green" light for Fioletovo means another green light
for Dilijan gold mine.
2. We would like to draw attention to the procedure of environmental
expertise, which is not expertise, as a matter of fact, but has a
nature of political decisions, as all the mining projects in Armenia.
In case of Fioletovo, the Embassy of the Russian Federation and
the OSCE Office in Yerevan supported the villagers. The real owners
of "Grade RedMet" LLC are another issue. We learn about them from
the mass media: "License on prospecting the area in the village by
"Grade RedMet" LLC was issued in 2005. The founders of the company
are Hasmik Harutyunyan, Mairen Batoyan and Vardan Markaryan. The
permit for geoprospecting was issued to the company when Nature
Protection Minister was Vardan Ayvazyan, currently an MP and Chairman
of the Standing Committee on Economy. Hasmik Harutyunyan is Yervand
Hovhannisyan's wife, who held the position of Head of Mine Surveyor
Control Department at Nature Protection Ministry during Vardan
Ayvazyan's office. Mairen Batoyan is Vardan Ayvazyan's wife's friend
and his countrywoman. Vardan Margaryan is the owner and director of
"Meghradzor Gold" Company developing Meghradzor mine.
Vardan Ayvazyan owns several mines and has already sold his rights to
developing Hrazdan iron mine, Svarants and Abovyan mines to Chinese
"Fortune Oil". The Chinese got from Ayvazyan an expired documentation
package for Hrazdan mine. People in Fioletovo say the Chinese also
deal with transaction (information is not checked). We don't exclude
that the Chinese will try to compensate their damage from 3 huge but
non-perspective iron mines with small gold mines."
http://ecolur.org/en/news/mining/frozen-status-of-fioletovo-mining-expertise-can-be-melted-down/6994/
From: Baghdasarian
18:12 February 04, 2015
EcoLur
The issue of Fioletovo gold mining project continues remaining worrying
for several reasons: Fioletovo open pit mining submitted by "Grade
Redmet" Company high risks of environmental pollution, which are
not laid down in the project in any way. Information in the project
is marred starting from gold concentration. Under the project, gold
concentration is from 2.5 g to 5.5 g, but if to compare these data
with the scientific data (F. G. SHAMTSYAN, S. U. VARTANYAN, ABOUT GOLD
CONTAINING STRUCTURE AND PROSPECTS OF SOUTH EASTERN AND CENTRAL PARTS
OF SEVAN-AMASSIYA TECTONIC ZONE IN ARMENIA, Yerevan State University,
3, 2010), the article says completely different figures - 1.7-2.4-2.7
g of gold per ton. Taking into consideration that the company hadn't
carried out any prospecting before the environmental expertise,
it's clear that official sources were used, but the company project
figures are overstated by twice.
The project doesn't say anything about accompanying metals (besides
silver), the presence of which bears high pollution risks during
ore crushing. Sotq mine has similar geological formations, while as
a result of Sotq mine, Masrik and Sotq - rivers in the Sevan basin,
were polluted with such elements as cadmium, vanadium and antimony. The
concentration of vanadium in Lake Sevan exceeds the MPC by 5-8 times,
which is a highly toxic element and an indicator of chemical pollution
in developed European countries.
Thus, the main artery of Tavush Region, Aghstev River, is undermined,
as its right bank is considered to be gold-bearing. Dilijan National
Park neighboring with Fioletovo is also endangered. Under the project,
mining wastes make up 3 million cum, which will be dumped in an area
of 4 ha. As a matter of fact, these are industrial wastes - crushed
and spread into environment polluting the area with a radius of 25-30
km from the center. In case of mining pollution areas take place in
such scales.
Fioletovo mine has "gold" relatives nearby in Dilijan. Dilijan
gold mine is similar to Fioletovo mine with its parameters. And
consequently, "green" light for Fioletovo means another green light
for Dilijan gold mine.
2. We would like to draw attention to the procedure of environmental
expertise, which is not expertise, as a matter of fact, but has a
nature of political decisions, as all the mining projects in Armenia.
In case of Fioletovo, the Embassy of the Russian Federation and
the OSCE Office in Yerevan supported the villagers. The real owners
of "Grade RedMet" LLC are another issue. We learn about them from
the mass media: "License on prospecting the area in the village by
"Grade RedMet" LLC was issued in 2005. The founders of the company
are Hasmik Harutyunyan, Mairen Batoyan and Vardan Markaryan. The
permit for geoprospecting was issued to the company when Nature
Protection Minister was Vardan Ayvazyan, currently an MP and Chairman
of the Standing Committee on Economy. Hasmik Harutyunyan is Yervand
Hovhannisyan's wife, who held the position of Head of Mine Surveyor
Control Department at Nature Protection Ministry during Vardan
Ayvazyan's office. Mairen Batoyan is Vardan Ayvazyan's wife's friend
and his countrywoman. Vardan Margaryan is the owner and director of
"Meghradzor Gold" Company developing Meghradzor mine.
Vardan Ayvazyan owns several mines and has already sold his rights to
developing Hrazdan iron mine, Svarants and Abovyan mines to Chinese
"Fortune Oil". The Chinese got from Ayvazyan an expired documentation
package for Hrazdan mine. People in Fioletovo say the Chinese also
deal with transaction (information is not checked). We don't exclude
that the Chinese will try to compensate their damage from 3 huge but
non-perspective iron mines with small gold mines."
http://ecolur.org/en/news/mining/frozen-status-of-fioletovo-mining-expertise-can-be-melted-down/6994/
From: Baghdasarian