Greece’s Environment & Energy Ministry approved the amended Environmental Impact Assessment for the Kassandra goldmines in northern Greece, Eldorado Hellas Gold announced on Thursday.
It said the development opens the way for the use of the dry deposition method in safe storage of mining residue at the Skouries mines in Halkidiki.
“This particular technology includes removing water from the mining activity residue, and then compressing and collecting them in specially prepared deposition areas,” Hellas Gold, a subsidiary of Eldorado Gold said, underlining that the method will contribute to reducing the environmental impact in Skouries.
President and CEO of Eldorado Gold George Burns said the approval is a milestone for the Skouries project and the method is one the company applies in most of its mines. The dry deposition investment at Skouries shows the company’s commitment to making facilities and activities safer for people and the environment, he added.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should used to access the environmental impacts of development projects in all its aspects, including construction, use, transport, disposal, etc. but instead it is often used as a green wash in order to approve a project. Was the procedure properly followed including public consultation rounds? Who conducted the EIA?