TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Canadian gold miner Alamos Gold’s Kirazli project, in Turkey, is now set to become the company’s next low-cost mine after the Turkish High Administrative Court overturned a Lower Court ruling that cancelled permits granted to Alamos by the Ministry of the Environment and Urbanisation.

The environmental-impact assessment (EIA) certificate for the Kirazli project had now been reinstated.

The Ministry of the Environment and Urbanisation had initially approved the EIA in August 2013, before the Canakkale Administrative Court in January last year cancelled the ministry’s approval, citing the lack of a ‘cumulative-impact assessment’ (CIA). However, at the time of the filing of the EIA, there was no requirement to include a CIA.

Alamos then completed a CIA to satisfy the Lower Court while the ministry appealed the decision in the High Court.

"We are very gratified to have received this positive ruling from the Turkish High Court. This follows a number of positive developments in Turkey this year, including the dismissal of the injunction against our Agi Dagi EIA, the passing of a new and, in our view, progressive mining law and a recent reduction in forestry fees.

“With strong economics this will be our next low-cost gold mine," president and CEO John McCluskey said on Tuesday.

Alamos in April reported that the injunction granted in January against the Turkish Environment Ministry’s August 2014 approval of the EIA for its Agi Dagi project had been dismissed by the Canakkale Administrative Court.

With this ruling, the ministry's EIA approval had been returned to good standing, paving the way for Alamos to pursue the operating/mine permits for the project.

Assuming the Turkish assets were constructed, they could, from late 2017, add as much as 250 000 oz/y of gold to Alamos’s current full-year guidance of between 150 000 oz and 170 000 oz of gold.