Mining Watch: Certej mining project in Romania began illegally, without permits

Deva Gold, the subsidiary of Canadian company Eldorado Gold, illegally started the construction work for the development of the Certej mine in Hunedoara county, Romania, without having acquired any of the needed permits from the appropriate institutions, says Mining Watch Romania. “The Mining Watch Romania network denounces the total lack of vigilance of both regional and national authorities. One of the largest gold mining projects in Romania, subject to Eldorado’s plans, began its first phase. The concerned authorities took absolutely no notice whatsoever of the construction works undertaken. Deva Gold’s impudent action to start the Certej mine is only surpassed by Romanian institutions’ failure to spot and sanction these illegal acts,” reads Mining Watch’s statement. Large-scale machines are currently working in the Coranda open pit area. Bulldozers and excavators level the terrain and prepare the platforms that will have different functions within the mining project, while at the entrance in the Certej village, a storage shed is already built and another metal structure is being assembled. None of these facilities has any construction permits, according to Mining Watch. “On October 15, Mining Watch Romania notified the State Inspectorate for Construction to take legal measures and asked for the immediate cease of works,” reads the statement. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (photo source: miningwatch.ro)