Following discussions with the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana (EPA) in relation to potentially adverse environmental impacts arising from the current tailings storage facility, operations at AngloGold Ashanti’s Iduapriem mine in Ghana have been suspended until alternative arrangements for tailings storage can be established. In conjunction with the EPA, we have identified an interim location for tailings storage and will work with the agency over the next month to make this operational.
In parallel, the mine is accelerating the development of a new tailings storage facility and a water treatment plant, which it aims to commission in the latter part of 2010 or in early 2011. Rescheduling is underway to define the production impact but it is expected that a revised plan will enable a significant portion of lost production to be recovered over the course of the year. Employees and key suppliers are being engaged to assist during the transition period.
In 2009, Iduapriem produced 190,000oz of gold, some 4% of AngloGold Ashanti’s annual global production.
Source: GhanaWeb
