Eldorado Gold CEO George Burns
VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Eldorado Gold’s increased pressure on the Greek government seems to be paying off, with the government issuing two more permits for the Canadian miner's Olympias project.
Vancouver-based Eldorado confirmed on Friday that it had received the approval of the technical study for the old Olympias mine closure, as well as the installation permit for the paste plant.
"This is another positive step forward; however, we are still waiting on the other matters, which we continue to believe can be resolved through good faith negotiations. We again invite the Ministry to engage with us to resolve these matters,” stated president and CEO George Burns in a news release.
Eldorado is still awaiting issuance of the outstanding amended electromechanical installation permit for the Skouries flotation plant, as well as other matters including, but not limited to, the relocation of antiquities at the Skouries site.
Upon receipt of the required Skouries permit and the Greek government being willing to engage with Eldorado in constructive discussions, the company will then be in a position to re-assess its investment options in Greece, Eldorado advised.
Eldorado on Monday announced that, under present conditions, no further investment will be made into the Kassandra mines, comprising the Olympias, Skouries and Stratoni development projects. Ongoing permitting delays and a lack of support from the Greek government have negatively impacted on Eldorado’s project schedules and costs, ultimately hindering the company’s ability to effectively advance development and operation of these assets.