After a community consultation was ordered as a requirement for the resumption of operations of the San Rafael Mine in Guatemala, the authorities invited nine institutions to participate in the first meeting of the pre-consultation roundtable.
Derived from a protective action filed by the environmental organization Calas, the Constitutional Court (CC) ordered in September 2018, to carry out through the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), a community consultation in the area of operations of the mine, in El Escobal, in the municipality of San Rafael Las Flores, department of Santa Rosa.
The arbitration panel was formed to hear the lawsuit against the State of Guatemala, which was filed because of the suspension of the operations of the El Tambor mine, in San José del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampuc.
After the arbitration claim was filed by the Americans Daniel W. Kappes, Kappes, Cassidy & Associates before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) on December 11, 2018, the body announced that the panel was formed.
Representatives of the El Tambor mine, located in San José del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampuc, filed a $300 million lawsuit against the State of Guatemala.
The arbitration lawsuit was filed by the Americans Daniel W. Kappes, Kappes, Cassidy & Associates, which was registered by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) last December 11th.
Following the Guatemalan Constitutional Court's order of a community consultation as a requirement to resume operations at the San Rafael Mine, the company is now claiming that the timelines for the process are not clear.
Given the doubts that exist about the term that the government has to complete the process of community consultation, the mining company has decided to make another staff cut, given that it is unknown how long it will be before they can resume mining operations, which were halted on July 3, 2017.
Following the order to hold community consultations as a requirement for resuming operations at the San Rafael Mine in Guatemala, the authorities are waiting for the ruling to be be made firm in order to start a pre-consultation process.
After more than 300 days of waiting for a decision from the authorities, as a result of an appeal for legal protection filed by the environmental organization Calas, the Constitutional Court (CC) last week ordered a community consultation to be carried out, through the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), into the operations area of the mine, in El Escobal, in the municipality of San Rafael Las Flores, department of Santa Rosa.
In 2017 the value of sales to Germany and Belgium fell by 6% and 29% respectively, which is explained in part by the suspension of operations at El Escobal mine.
According to figures from Banco de Guatemala, between 2016 and 2017 exports from Guatemala to Germany fell from $148 million to $139 million, and to Belgium they dropped from $128 million to $90 million.The decrease in sales to Belgium is explained by the decrease in the export of lead, as it went down from $70 million in 2016 to $17 million in 2017.
Industrialists are demanding that the Constitutional Court rule on the request for legal protection that was granted in favor of an environmental group and which is keeping the mine's operations in a state of paralysis.
The project has been paralyzed since an environmental organization filed an request for legal protection against the mine, arguing that the Ministry of Energy and Mines did not carry out the necessary community consultations before authorizing the licenses.
Minera San Rafael will have to cease operations after its two operating licenses were suspended as a result of a writ of protection granted by the Supreme Court of Justice to an environmental group.
Prensalibre.com reports that "...The licenses for El Escobal, approved in 2013, and Juan Bosco, in 2012, are suspended and as a consequence, the San Rafael mine must stop its operations.The extraction plants whose licenses are now invalid are located in Mataquescuintla, Jalapa, and Nueva Santa Rosa, Casillas, and San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa."
The Canadian mining company GoldCorp has agreed to sell 100% of its stake in the gold and silver mining project Cerro Blanco located in Asuncion Mita, Jutiapa, to Bluestone Resources.
From a press release by Goldcorp:
VANCOUVER, Jan. 11, 2017 /CNW/ - GOLDCORP INC. (TSX: G, NYSE: GG) today announced that the Company has entered into an agreement (the "Agreement") pursuant to which it has agreed to sell its 100% interest in the Cerro Blanco gold-silver project, located in Guatemala, to Bluestone Resources Inc. (TSXV: BSR) ("Bluestone").
The decline in production and lower international prices explain the 20% drop in sales abroad in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2015.
The results from the first half of the year come at a time when the suspension of several mining licenses has started to cause uncertainty among companies and concessionaires in the sector. See: "Another Two Mines Suspended in Guatemala" and "Mining Moratorium Proposed".
The Supreme Court has rescinded in a "definitive" manner the permit for operating the mine La Puya, which had been awarded to the company Progreso VII Derivadas.
Putting a legal end to the controversy which arose three months ago, the Supreme Court decided to suspend the permit permanently, after differences of opinion arose between the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Court over legal criteria.
The Mining Exploitation Project Niquegua Montufar II, run by Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel, and the one called Tajmulco II, by Montana Exploradora de Guatemala, have been suspended by the government.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Energy and Mines indicates that "...Adhering to the appeal granted by the First Chamber of the Court of Appeals of the Civil and Commercial Branch constituted in the Court of Appeal, the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), notified Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel (CGN), of the suspension of its authorization license for operating the mining exploitation project Niquegua Montufar II. "
On August 16 and 17 industry representatives from around the globe will be taking part in business conferences and lectures on the role of mineral resources and the impact of the activity on the economy.
The II International Mining Congress is being organized by the Mining Chamber of Nicaragua and will be held on August 16 and 17 in Managua.
The conference will include business conferences, panels and lectures on the economic and social impact of mining on communities; the role of metallic and non-metallic mineral resources in developing countries and environmental challenges in modern mining.
In the nineties a village in Costa Rica was populated by dreams of a promising future driven by the exploitation of a gold mine. Today there are only 27 inhabitants, left without hope.
EDITORIAL
An article on Nacion.com reports on the ups and downs of the gold mine project in Crucitas, in Costa Rica, which eventually fell through because environmental forces prevailed over sustainable development, leaving a long series of damages to the country in terms of confidence in the security of investments, tax losses, and mainly in the hopes of human beings who believed in and supported the mine being a catalyst for progress in the area. As usually happens, the only winners were the lawyers who litigated and continue litigating for both sides.
The mining company is progressively reducing gold extractions and will achieve total closure in 2017, while efforts begin to recover the area.
During 2013 202.200 ounces of gold were extracted, while in 2014 a decrease was reported of at least 185,000 ounces. It is expected that production this year will be equal to or lower to those last year and 2016 is expected to be the last year that extractions will be made, projecting approximately 150,000 ounces.