SANTO DOMINGO (miningweekly.com) – Canada-based Barrick Gold expects the protests against its $3.8-billion joint venture Pueblo Viejo gold mine, in the Dominican Republic, to gradually decline as more people become aware of the cleanup effort made by Barrick and the economic benefits the mine will provide.
“In the long run, we’re confident that people will see these benefits and will see Pueblo Viejo as a positive contributor to the country,” says Barrick spokesperson Andy Lloyd. “Pueblo Viejo is an outstanding operation and a world-class gold deposit.”
Pueblo Viejo, which is 60% owned by operator Barrick and 40% by Canada-based Goldcorp, is facing more protests, mostly spurred by concern over environmental damage, but ironically, one in September was caused by demands for more local jobs. In that protest, 30 people were hurt in clashes with local police. Last month, another protest resulted in one injured demonstrator and a burnt down minivan that Barrick uses to transport workers.
Much of the environmental concern is based on the previous exploitation of the Pueblo Viejo mine, which was developed by local mining firm Rosario Dominicano between 1975 and 1999 and then abandoned owing to financial and environmental problems. When Barrick took over the mine it found significant contamination and had to invest more than $375-million in environmental remediation.
“Given the negative history associated with historic mining at the Pueblo Viejo site, it’s not surprising that some people have concerns about mining,” Lloyd says. “But we know our operation has been designed as a modern, world-class mine that will ensure the environment is protected. We’ve also carried out an extensive clean-up of the contamination left behind by the previous mining operation, and our goal is [to] leave the area with an environment in far better shape than the one we first encountered there.”