JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The final legal process to facilitate the filing of an updated environmental application amendment for TSX-listed Continental Gold’s flagship Buriticá project, in Colombia, has been completed.
The Colombia government last week published Decree 2220, which would allow the national environment authority Autoridad Nacional de Licencias Ambientales (ANLA) to prioritise the review of the Project of National Strategic Interest- (Pines-) classified Buriticá project’s amended environmental-impact assessment (EIA) to allow for a bigger mining operation.
Earlier this year, ANLA was established as the competent authority to review and approve environmental applications for Pines-classified projects under Article 51 of Law 1753, which defined Colombia’s National Development Plan from 2014 to 2018.
Continental was now on track for a January 2016 refiling of the application for the amendment to the EIA with ANLA, with the permitting process expected to be completed by the end of the first half of that year.
“We expect that, through the Pines programme, ANLA will commence a thorough review of the company's comprehensive EIA amendment application upon submission,” Continental executive chairperson Leon Teicher said.
He added that the mine could, once in full production, double the legal production of gold in Colombia.
“This new decree provides Colombia mining projects which are part of the Pines programme a clear path forward to complete environmental permitting with the national government and reach commercialisation, noted Colombian Mining Association president Santiago Ángel.