Moratorium Prevents Mine Reopening in Costa Rica

The government has denied a Canadian company a license.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

The Costa Rican authorities in the mining sector have declined the request to reopen the Bellavista gold mine by the Canadian company B2 Gold, arguing that the act would be contrary to the national moratorium on mining.

The firm aims to revive gold mining in the area, which was suspended in 2007 after a landslide polluted the surrounding waters, reports Nacion.com.

Uriel Juarez, national secretary for environment, explained that B2 Gold presented a preliminary environmental assessment, but this has not even been looked at because "it cannot legally procede" For his part, Donald Brown, Bellavista mine manager and representative of Processed Metals M. R. W., B2 Gold’s Costa Rican partner, what is happening is that they are not "understanding".

Brown believes that this project does not come under the moratorium declared by Decree 36 019-Minaet, because they are reviving an old plan. "The award is still valid and the resolution they sent us talks about respect for the moratorium. This is for new projects and we are not presenting a new project," he said.

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Costa Rica: Mining Company Sues State

August 2013

The Bellavista mining company has gone to the Administrative Court seeking permission to reactivate gold mining activities in Puntarenas.

According to the general manager of Metales Procesados MRW S.A., Donald Brown, the suit against the Costa Rican government was filed last May but the information had not been released until now.

B2Gold Studies Reopening Bellavista Mine in Costa Rica

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The Canadian mining company is looking for new land for the installation of a processing plant.

Production at the mine has been paralyzed since 2007, when a landslide caused damage to the gold mining zone and affected the factory’s processing.

Donald Brown, Bellavista mine manager and representative of Metals Processed M.R.

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Nicaragua Grants 25 Year Gold Mining Concession

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