the Kumtor mine tailings facility will not be affected by the movement of the waste dump

published: 17 May 2013

In response to concerns, raised by some parliament members at the plenary session of the KR Parliament on May 16, 2013 that the waste rock dump movement could affect the tailings facility, Kumtor Gold Company considers it is necessary to repeat its earlier statements that the Kumtor mine tailings facility will not be affected by the movement of the waste dump.

On May 2, 2013 Kumtor Gold Company released an official statement on the waste rock dump movement which is located in the Davidov Valley below the Davidov Glacier itself. In this regard, a special commission to study the dump movement was established on behalf of the Kyrgyz Republic by the Prime Minister. The Commission includes representatives of Ministries and State Agencies, regulatory authorities, independent experts, civil society representatives, and one KR Parliament Member. After their visit to the mine site they voiced their views and preliminary conclusions. At the press conference, the head of the Commission, Director of the Kyrgyz Republic State Inspectorate for Environmental and Technical Safety, Osmonbek Artykbaev, stated that: “The dump movement at the Kumtor mine does not create a threat to the tailings facility” and that “rumors about the possible destruction, which recently appeared in media, are groundless”. “I can quite clearly state that the movement of waste dumps at the mine cannot cause the destruction of the tailings facility. It is located far from the dumps”, Artykbaev said at a press conference in Kabar news agency.

KGC Management has also previously stated, publicly, that the tailings dam is located away from the moving dump and its movement can have no impact on the dam (Interview with the President of the Company, Michael Fischer, was published in Vechernyi Bishkek and Alibi newspapers on May 15, 2013, as well as posted on the website of 24.kg news agency).

Currently, specialists of the Company and members of the Commission are working together to modify the currently approved 2013 waste dump management plan to ensure the continued safety of Kumtor employees, whilst maintaining the planned 2013 production.