“Begin the construction of a designed Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) before the date of expiry of the TSF permit issued to the company. The construction must be done in line with the standard requirement and procedures as spelt out in the condition of the TSF Permit issued by the Agency”.
Earl International Group (GH) Gold Limited a large-scale mining Company operating in Gbane a community in the Talensi District of the Upper East is in trouble again this time for non-compliance with EPA’s Environmental Permit Conditions. The Company has been tasked by EPA to pay an amount of Two Hundred and Seventy-Three Thousand United State Dollars (US$ 273,000.00) or its Cedi equivalent using daily selling interbank exchange rate as administrative charges for non-compliance of Environmental Permit conditions within one month from the date of the letter in line with the Fees and Charges (Amendment) Instrument, 2019 (LI 2386). Apexnewsgh.com report
“Notify the Agency of the commencement of the TSF construction where a third party shall be jointly chosen by both the Agency and the company to be present throughout the entire duration of the construction stages of the designed TSF.
Notify the Agency after the construction of the TSF is completed, for the Agency to carry out a thorough inspection before any material can be pumped into the facility”
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“Cease the construction of any further illegal temporal tailing’s storage facility/facilities”.
“Post the long overdue Reclamation Bond as security for the decommissioning and rehabilitation of disturbed areas associated with your company’s Underground Mining and Processing Project In line with Regulation 23 of the Environmental Assessment Regulation, 1999 (LI 1652). The quantum of the Bond to be posted for the Underground Mining and Processing Project is Six Hundred and Fifty-Eight Thousand and Ninety-Eight United State Dollars (US$658,098.00) as presented in the approved Environmental Impact statement of November 2020 in an Escrow Account between your company and the Agency. Twenty percent (20%) of this Bond amounting to One Hundred and Thirty-One Thousand, Six Hundred and Twenty United State Dollars (US$ 131, 620) shall be paid in cash and the remaining eighty percent (80%), in Bank Guarantee.
Consistently submit without fail Monthly Environmental Monitoring Returns to the Agency taking cognizance of the Akoben Criteria of Compliance, Surveillance and Control sampling points for water, air and noise.
“Desist from the discharge of any water from within the enclosed premises of your operation to the external environment without prior approval from the Agency”.
“Immediately begin the processes of acquiring environmental permits for all other ancillary facilities/infrastructure of your operations which are not covered by the previously issued environmental permits”.
“Submit a comprehensive Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for your operation to the Agency.
These were captured in the EPA’s sanction letter to Earl International Group (GH) Gold Limited dated 29th November 2022 which was intercepted by Apexnewsgh.com.
The letter says, “In accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 490, 1994 and the Environmental Assessment Regulations Legislative Instrument, 1999 LI 1652, the Regional Office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) undertook a compliance monitoring of your operations on the 11th and 15th of November 2022 at Gbane in the Talensi District”.
“While the Agency was satisfied with some aspects of your Company’s compliance to conditions of the Environmental Permits (Underground Mining & Processing and Tailings Storage Facility- TSF) issued to Earl International Group (GH) Gold Limited-Gbane, the Agency was grossly dissatisfied with several other occasions of non-compliance to EPA’s Environmental Permit Conditions. Chief among them were the non-posting of Reclamation Bonds for Underground Mining and Processing and TSF, six (6) months after the issuance of EPA permits, and the illegal construction of unapproved and sub-standard temporal tailings storage facilities without the Agency’s notice, among others”. The letter pointed
However, the intercepted EPA sanction letter to Earl International Group (GH) Gold Limited further cautioned the Company to comply. “As a result, the Agency is requesting Earl International Group (GH) Gold Limited-Gbane to strictly and immediately comply with the following conditions as outlined in the attachment labeled Attachment A. Failure to comply with all the conditions in Attachment A, will result in an immediate and outright suspension of operations. EPA Cautioned
Meanwhile, the letter signed by the EPA Regional Director for the Executive Director was copied to the Upper East Regional Minister, the Talensi District Chief Executive, The EPA Executive Director, Director, Mining Department EPA-Accra and EPA Legal Officer, Northern Zone, Kumasi.
More to come soon
Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana
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