GOLD MINING IN TURKEY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

or publicized widely [6]. All published accounts of human deaths due to mining-related environmental incidents relate to physical inundation with tailings materials. It also appears that major mining-related environmental incidents have not been concentrated in any geographic location, are likely to occur regardless of the size of the company, and do not occur more frequently with a specific type of mining activity. Furthermore, most major incidents have been the result of some sort of dam overtopping, breaching, geotechnical failure, or earthquake. In the context of cyanide treatment and recovery, a number of technologies have been widely demonstrated to reliably control cyanide levels in mining solutions. With proper use of these technologies, cyanide concentrations in tailings can be maintained at levels protective of wildlife, while reducing the potential for severe environmental incidents. 3

GOLD MINING IN THE WORLD The world’s total processable gold reserves are 50.000 tons and about 65% of this is in the

USA, Canada, Australia and S. Africa, which occupy the top places in world gold production. In 2005, $2.05 billion were spent for gold explorations in the world. 49% of this was spent in three advanced countries, the USA, Canada and Australia [7]. 53% of world gold production takes place in four industrialized countries: the USA, Canada, Australia and S.Africa. Compared to 1980, production has swelled by 13 times in the USA,

times in Australia and 3.5 times in Canada. Europe, excluding Russia has an annual gold production of 24 tons, 1% of world production.India, USA, Saudi Arabia, China and Türkiye take up first place in world gold demand. Although Türkiye isn’t placed in world gold production rankings, it is fifth in demand. In all continents of the world, in 24 countries, 2,530 tons of gold was produced in 2005. Additionally, 146 new projects in

Canada, USA, South America, Australia, Bulgaria, Greece, S. Africa, other African countries, Armenia, India, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are on the brink of becoming investments churning out 425 tons/year. In Türkiye’s neighbors, at 3 gold mines in Greece, 2 in Cyprus (Greek Cypriots), 2 in Armenia and 2 in Bulgaria, investments have reached the final stages. Annual world gold production and 2006 mine production are given in Fig. 2.1. and Fig. 2.2 [7]. Figure 2.1. Annual World Gold Production Figure 2.2. 2006 Mine Production China has now had a decade of reform in the gold mining sector. After a recent pause, foreign exploration companies are now returning to China in large numbers, and there have also been some large-scale and exciting new .nds. There are considerable opportunities: China’s domestic gold mining remains small scale and would bene.t from foreign assistance, particularly in the area of deep mining. Environmental concerns are also becoming more pressing with widespread pollution, and this is another area where foreign expertise would be of assistance. Furthermore domestic production has perhaps peaked at around 200 tonnes a year, but demand couldeasily reach 600 tonnes in the next decade. The implication is clear: either China steps up exploitation of its own resources (with or without foreign capital and technology), or it may be obliged to import large amounts of bullion. The Chinese gold mine production reached 123,862 pounds during the first three months of 4 2007, resulting in a 15.99-percent growth in relation to the same period of 2006. During all 2006, the Chinese gold mines produced 240 tons, a national record that contributed a $1.5- billion income to the country [8]. Chinese gold mine production is given in Fig.2. 3. Figure 2.3. Chinese Gold Mine Production

GOLD MINING IN TÜRKİYE Calculations based on explorations in numerous mine areas and world gold formation models reveal that Turkiye’s gold potential is 6,500 tons. The mine value of this potential is worth $70 billion.With soaring gold prices and new landmarks in the technology of processing gold ore, the world gold mining has grown rapidly starting with the 1970s. World gold production has almost doubled in the last 25 years. As a consequence, while explored gold ores are being processed, a period of intense exploration and investment has commenced globally.According to present-day written and archeological findings, gold has been produced in Anatolia since 3000 B.C. However, in Türkiye, there is now only silver mine production since 1987 and the Ovacık (Bergama) gold mine that started production in

In return, Türkiye is one of the world’s largest gold processing and consumption markets. Its annual gold imports are around 200 tons [9]. Exploitable gold reservs in Türkiye and some characteristics are given in table 3.1. Table 3.1. Exploitable gold reservs in Türkiye and some characteristics City-township and place Reserv (1000/ton) Tenor (gr/t) Metal content (ton) Artvin-cerattepe 14.000 1.6 37.00 Balıkesir-Havran-Kucukdere 1.410 6.43 9.07 Eskişehir-Sivrihisar-Kamaz 974 6.04 5.8 Gümüşhane-Mastra 1000 1.0 12.00 İzmir-Bergama-Ovacık 2.980 9.0 26.82 İzmir-Efemcukuru 2500 12.65 31.62 Uşak-Kışladağ 4.000 1.43 105.80 Toplam 230.00 5 In light of recent developments in world gold mining, our country has caught the attention of foreign investors, both in terms of geological diversity and the availability of the investment environment in the 1980s. Hence, for the first time in the history of our Republic, an opportunity has arisen to make a start in gold mining. Upon the test production of the Ovacık Gold Mine, recognized gold mine companies reassumed explorations in Turkiye. There are 9 foreign-capital owned companies that have been carrying out gold mining activities since 2002 [10]. Gold producing foreign companies which came to Turkiye subsequent to the change in the Mine Law in 1985 found economic gold deposits. Estimates based on explorations in numerous mine areas and world gold formation models reveal that Turkiye’s gold potential is 6,500 tons [11]. Fig. 3.1. Gold Deposits and Prospects of Turkiye (including > 0,2 M as Au as reserve and or resource) along the Tethyan Eurasian Metallogenic Belt. (TEMB). Deposits Shown Include those with by Product Gold. Mercator Projection, Scale Accurate for the Location’s Latitude.The number of gold deposits constituting this potential is presumed to be 267; of these, it is estimated that 13 could contain above 150 tons of gold, 40 between 30 and 150 tons and 214 less than 30 tons. The production technology used at the Eti Holding Kutahya Gumuşköy enterprise since

is basically similar to the technology found at gold mines such as at the plant in Ovacık. The method involves the processes of breaking and grinding the ore produced at the mine quarry, dissolving the gold and silver in the ore with cyanide complexes by the leach method and recovery from the dilute phase .After cyanide leaching, the gold and silver goes 6 from the solid phase to the liquid phase and are recovered by the processes of absorption from the active carbon and desorption. Then with electrowinning, the rich solution is melted into dore bars, a homogeneous mixture of gold, silver and scanty amounts of other metals. Refining takes place through electrowinning of the dore bar [13]. At the Ovacık Gold Mine, the wastes of sodium cyanide leaching are decomposed into natural compounds at the INCO SO2/Air chemical decomposition unit, then by the ferric sulphate method, the heavy metals found in insignificant amounts in the ore are precipitated, stabilized and are stored in the tailing pond in the form of insoluble compounds. There is no discharge from the tailing pond and the water in the pond is recycled within the plant. Throughout the world, there are about 800 gold and silver producing firms in 24 countries using sodium cyanide leaching, a method which has been in use for over 100 years. The Ovacık gold mine has started test production in May 2001 and has since produced 5.73 tons of gold and 7.23 tons of silver until the end of 2001.Turkiye’s gold capacity is close to the world’s principal gold and silver producers with a potential of 6,500 tons of gold and 100,000 tons of silver [14]. [15].

MAIN MINING PROJECT IN TÜRKİYE

1. Kışladağ Project The Kisladag Gold Project in west central Turkiye will be the largest gold mine in Turkiye when in full production. Kisladag is a 14 year open pit heap leach gold mine. At full production the mine should produce 240,000 ounces annually. The Kisladag Project has been planned as a conventional open pit, heap leach gold mine, constructed and operated in two successive Phases. A mine production rate of 5 million tonnes per annum ("Mtpa") of ore has been set for the first four years of the mine's life. Annual ore production will increase to 7.5 Mtpa in year 5, and to 10 Mtpa the following year, remaining at that level until the end of mine life. Flexibility exists within the construction design to accelerate the increase to 10 Mtpa if desired. [16].

2. Efemcukuru Project Efemcukuru is located in western Turkiye, 20 kilometers southwest of the provincial capital Izmir in a mountainous area known as Tepe Dagi. Site access is via local paved roads from the coast and the city of Izmir to the north.The Efemcukuru project reached an advanced stage of development with the completion of a full pre-feasibility study in early 1999 that describes an 800 tonne per day underground mine supported by a gold flotation recovery plant. The Efemcukuru mineral resource, which lies within the north, middle and south ore shoots in the Kestane Beleni structure, is estimated to contain approximately 2,419,200 tonnes at a grade of 14.44 g/t, or 1,088,100 ounces of gold. Ore reserves within the deposit are classified at 1,856,600 tonnes with a grade of 13.14 g/t, or approximately 784,100 ounces of gold. The planned mine production rate is 280,000 tonnes per year to recover an average of 90,000 ounces of gold annually. The operating life of the mine, based on the presently known resource, is expected to be 12 years [17]. 7

3. Gumuşhane - Mastra Project Mastra gold deposit, is 9 km northwest of Gümüşhane, near Demirkaynak Village. The deposit is located in the south section of the Pontide Tectonics Belt. The Pontide belt is a well-known metallogenical region for its massive sulfide deposits spread all over the region.Mastra gold deposit is placed within Eocene aged volcanic rocks in andesitic- basaltic composition. The 10 m wide ore zone comprising of epithermal quartz veins can be traced along a line of 1.3 km. The ore-bearing quartz veins are found in the fault zones with northwest direction and 60-80o NE plunging. The rocks around these quartz veins including gold and silver are completely altered. Massive sulfide minerals are spread irregularly within the veins. According to the feasibility report prepared in 1995, 1 million tons of ore were calculated in the grade of 12 g/t Au and 6.5 g/t Ag in indicated-inferred class. The value of this reserve according to the gold value of May, 2005 ($ 425/ounce) is

million US Dollars. It is assumed that as a result of the additional drilling activities for exploring the gold veins deeper, the gold reserve in Mastra could increase [18].

4. Artvin-Cerattepe Project The Cerattepe deposit is a VMS deposit, and is host to significant concentrations of copper and zinc with minor lead, silver and gold. It also has a formation of a gold and silver rich gossan above and adjacent to the massive sulphide body. The Cerattepe deposit is comprised of three distinct deposits; a massive sulphide zone that is rich in copper near the base, and copper poor sulphide (low-grade) zone above, and an overlying oxidized gossan zone which is rich in gold

5. Kucukdere Project Gold mineralization at Kucukdere is hosted exclusively by andesitic porphyry which was emplaced during the early Paleogene. Gold occurs as free grains within quartz and carbonate host rock in a series of quartz-carbonate veins which are subvertical with north to NE strikes, or are flat-lying to NW dipping with northerly to easterly strikes. Individual veins range in thickness from less than 1m to 30m, and vary in length from a few meters to more than 200m. The veins are controlled by NNE trending shears and dilatant zones developed in the andesite porphyry stock and are surrounded by pervasive propylitic alteration to moderate argillic alteration. Exploration work at Kucukdere was conducted between 1989 and 1991. [20].

6. Kirazli Project The Kirazli project (pronounced Ker-As-Li) includes a large target area measuring 2 kilometres by 1 kilometre. The highlight of this project is a very high-grade gold zone that has the potential to expand into an exceptional deposit. Fronteer has spent the 2005 exploration campaign delineating and expanding this high-grade gold zone and testing other targets on the property. Results have now defined a large gold zone that is approximately 1,000 metres long, 100 metres wide, and averaging 40-60 metres in thickness. The high- grade gold zone sits in the middle of this larger zone [21]. 8 A recently completed resource estimate of the Kirazli gold zone has yielded the following results:  244,000 indicated and 563,000 inferred ounces of gold  1,693,000 indicated and 3,859,000 inferred ounces of silver

7. Agi Dagi Project The Agi Dagi Project (pronounced Ah-Dah) includes a large target area measuring 4 kilometres by 2 kilometres. The structural grain of the property strikes NE-SW, the majority of which remains untested by drilling [22]. Currently, two main gold zones have been defined on the property including the Baba zone on the southeast end, and the Deli zone on the northeast end, with both of these zones included in a recently completed resource estimate. The combined resources of the Agi Dagi property include:  217,000 indicated and 1,043,000 inferred ounces of gold  425,000 indicated and 4,697,000 inferred ounces of silver

8. Bergama-İzmir Project The company’s İzmir-Bergama-Ovacık Gold Mine is in the key position of contributing the great gold potential of Türkiye to the country’s economy and is the first gold mine of the Turkish Republic to be exploited. The total gold reserves are reported to be around 24 tons Au. The mine will be operated for

years, if no more reserves are discovered. . The ore will be mined by both open and undeground mining methods, followed by cyanide leaching. Gold and silver dore metal will be produced as the final product. The waste material from the plant will be stored in a water retention type tailings dam lined with clay and geomembrane liners with no discharge into the environment. Futhermore, the effluent from the plant will subjected to cyanide destruction. The company had prepared an EIA report, eventhough, it was exempt from it as the mining rights were granted before EIA regulations took effect and has guaranteed to meet the discharge limits set by environmental regulations. As such, from the environmental protection point of view, the mining and processing plant of Ovacik Gold Mine is one of the better examples in the whole world [23].

IN A CASE STUDY: WEST ANATOLİA GOLD MINING ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

1. Project Overview The Kisladag Project is planned to be a 10 million tonne per annum (mtpa) open pit, heap leach gold mine located in west-central Turkiye. Since 1997, the Project has advanced through various stages of exploration to final feasibility stage. The Kisladag Gold Project in 9 west central Turkiye will be the largest gold mine in Turkiye when in full production. We have advanced the project from exploration and development to construction and production. Kisladag is a 14 year open pit heap leach gold mine. At full production the mine should produce 240,000 ounces annually. Preparation of this Feasibility Study follows an extensive drilling program in 2002, which culminated in a further increase in the mineral resource at Kisladag as reported in November

Current activity is focused on obtaining the necessary permits and approvals to advance the project to a construction decision in 2003. A mine production rate of 5 million tonnes per year of ore has been set for the first four years of the mine’s life. Average daily production rates will be 16,100 tonnes per day (tpd) in ore and 13,000 tpd in waste during these initial four years. Annual ore production will increase to 7.5 million tonnes in Year 5, and to 10 mtpa the following year, remaining at that level until the end of mine life. The highest daily production rate occurs in Year 7 with a total movement of 79,000 tpd (ore plus waste). Total quantities of ore and waste will be 115 million tonnes and 106 million tonnes respectively over the mine life. The overall strip ratio will be 0.92 [24].

2. Accessibility, Climate, Local Resources, Infrastructure, and Physiography The Project area sits on the western edge of the Anatolian Plateau at an elevation of approximately1,000 metres, in gentle rolling topography. Local elevations range from 1,300 m above sea level (asl) to 700 m asl. The climate in this region is transitional between Mediterranean and Continental regimes andis characterized by warm dry summers and mild wet winters. Temperatures average 14°C for the year, varying from an average minimum of –3°C in January to an average maximum of 33°C in August.Annual rainfall is approximately 425 millimetres occurring mainly in the winter months (of the total annual precipitation, 31% falls in spring (March to May) and 48% in winter (November to February). The maximum daily precipitation recorded is 47 mm. According to the records of the Esme and Ulubey stations, mild northerly winds are dominant in the area with maximum wind speeds of 51 –61 km/hour. Environmental The draft Kisladag Project EIA study was completed in January 2003 and has been submitted to the Turkish authorities. An Environmental Positive Certificate which is issued upon acceptance of the Project by the Ministry of Environment is anticipated by the third quarter of 2003. The Kisladag Project area is located in a transition zone between continental and Mediterranean weather regimes. The Project site is relatively dry, with no significant lakes, perennial rivers or major aquifers in close vicinity. The geology of the area is dominated by a volcanic sequence with generally poor aquifer characteristics. Surface waters in the area are comprised of intermittently flowing ephemeral streams, shallow ponds dug for livestock and temporary surface water accumulation following heavy precipitation events. The deposit is located on the watershed divide separating the Gediz River and the Buyuk Menderes River basins, and the ephemeral streams exiting the area eventually end up in either the Gediz River or the Buyuk Menderes River, which flow into the Aegean Sea. None of the ephemeral streams or artificial shallow ponds in the area support any notable aquatic life. The majority of soil cover in the area falls within Turkish land use category VI and VII, which are restricted in terms of cultivation potential (stony, rocky and erosion-prone) and are generally deemed unsuitable for economic agriculture. Approximately 5% of the area is covered with Class III Colluvial soils suitable for agriculture use but require special control measures to take account of topography and erosion potential. The most significant emission that may affect 10 air quality at Kisladag will be the generation of dust and mitigation methods will be required. As confirmed by experience from operating mines worldwide, the dust problem can be contained by adopting dust avoidance and control measures, including installation of dust collecting devices, effective road maintenance and application of water mists and sprays during dry weather. Acid rock drainage (ARD), also referred to as acid mine drainage, is a potential impact generally associated with mining projects. Extensive testwork has been undertaken to assess the potential for the generation of ARD at the Kisladag Project, with the main focus on ARD potential of the waste rock. Acid base accounting and humidity cell testwork has shown that neutralizing potential is low and that reactivity of sulphide minerals in the waste is very low. The conclusion is that there is little probability of ARD being a major impact particularly given the design characteristics of the rock dump. The rock dump is designed to minimize exposure of such sulphide bearing rock to air and water. During operation, runoff water from precipitation will be diverted by interception and diversion ditches and segregated to reduce the volume of water coming in contact with sulphide rock. Internal run-off or seepage from the rock dump will be intercepted in a lined pond at the base of the rock dump, and treated for particulate matter and pH as required prior to release or subsequently used for operations purposes [24].

3. Mineralization Gold mineralization with traces of molybdenum, zinc, lead and copper encircles a late barren stock at the Kisladag deposit. Higher-grade gold mineralization forms a horseshoe shaped zone around the northern, southern and eastern sides of the late intrusive stock, which is associated with multiphase quartz sulphide stockwork and pervasive silicification. The mineralized zones dip outward in a bell-shaped body, subparallel to the contact of the stock. Gold is associated with at least three phases of partially overlapping stockwork veining and brecciation. These include intense quartz-tourmaline stockwork veining and quartz flooding of hydrothermal breccias, multiple phases of quartz-pyrite veining containing gold and late sulphide-rich quartz veining with traces of molybdenum, sphalerite, galena and tetrahedrite. A final phase of vuggy barren silica veining is associated with intense acid leaching but is effectively barren of gold mineralization. Outcrops of this late silicification form prominent vein and sill-like bodies away from the main deposit area and have been interpreted as eroded remnants of the original leached cap(“lithocap”). In general, the amount of stockwork veining decreases with depth, especially below the 650 metres (asl) elevation. Higher grade mineralization (above 2 ppm Au) has been traced from surface to depths greater than 250 metres below surface. Lower-grade mineralization, grading between 0.5 and 1.0 ppm Au, has been traced to the deepest levels drilled on the property (approximately 400 metres below surface[25].

4. Process Plant The Kisladag ore will be processed in a standard heap leach facility containing a three stage crushing plant, an overland conveyor to the heap leach pad, mobile conveyors and a stacker for placing the ore and a carbon adsorption facility (ADR plant) for recovering the gold. The carbon will be treated on site in a refinery and the final product will be a gold dore bar. The initial design capacity will be 5,000,000 dry tonnes of ore per annum for the first four years of operation when predominantly oxide material will be processed. The facilities will be expanded to process 10 mtpa after year five when primary ore from the deeper, higher 11 sulphide zone in the pit will predominate. Oxide ore will be recovered through to year 9. The crush size will be 80% passing 6.3 mm and the overall availability of the crushing and screening plant is estimated to be 70%. The crushed ore will be conveyed to a 300 tonne coarse ore bin and then on to the secondary crushers. The bin will also feed a 20,000 tonne stockpile when the crushers are not available. Final product from the crushing and screening circuit will be transferred to an overland conveyor via a radial stacker. This stacker will have the capability to form a 7,000 tonne fine ore stockpile with a swing of 45 degrees. The fine ore will be manually reclaimed from the pile by front-end loaders and reintroduced onto the overland conveyor belt via a hopper. Crushed ore will be transported to the heap leach pad by an overland conveyor and a series of portable conveyors and a radial stacker will place the ore onto the pad. The design includes a total of five 10 m high lifts with a total heap height of 50 m. The heap leach pad will be a permanent facility employing a two part liner system of a compacted layer of low permeability soil with a 2 mm thick HPDE/LLDPE synthetic liner. The initial pad will have a capacity of 15 million tonnes and sequential expansions to the pad will accommodate the total tonnage mined. During the pre-production period, oxide ore will be mined, crushed and screened for use as overliner material. Once the overliner material has been placed, the three stage crushing plant will be used for a period of three months to deliver 400,000 tonnes of pre-production ore to the pad. Irrigation of the heap will commence in the second month of preproduction and by the end of the first month of production, sufficient leaching will have taken place to allow the first gold to be poured. The leach cycle, based on testwork, is 90 days and the solution application rate will be 12 litres per hour per square metre of crushed ore. There will be three 10,000 m3 process ponds installed to contain the heap leach solutions. The process ponds will have a double HDPE liner and will be fitted with leak detection pumps. The pond surfaces will be covered with floating 100 mm diameter HDPE plastic balls in order to prevent bird access. The water management system has been designed to accommodate a 100 year, 24 hour storm event. A 77,000 m3 storm water event pond with a single HDPE liner will be provided to contain excess overflow solution from the pregnant solution pond. A second storm water event pond will be installed in year seven of operation. In order to cater for the storm event that exceeds the one in a 100 year estimate, an emergency hydrogen peroxide detoxification plant will reduce the cyanide content of the solution to safe. 12 Figure 5.1. Ultimate Open Pit and Heap Leach , Figure 5.2. General Layout Plan Facilities Prior to Reclamation

5. Risk Assessment and Management Risk assessment is an analytical tool used widely to evaluate the potential risk of hazardous chemicals like cyanide to human health and or the environment. There four major steps in risk assessment ın Kısladağ. These include:

Identifying the chemical,

Evaluating its characteristics,

Classifying the risk under significance impacts

Assessing the exposure and chemical pathways for the chemical. For cyanide, monitoring of what complexes are in the mine process solutions is essential. The management of the cyanide in terms of the alkalinity of the leach and make-up solutions will also need to be monitored, and fail-safe systems for alkalinity maintenance installed.Under wet tropical conditions a large rainstorm may cause water containing cyanide to drain from heap leach pads and dams and mix with surface water or ground water. Through modelling of water releases, the assessment of the concentration of cyanide that may be expected in rivers and groundwater after a rainstorm may be estimated and the degree of damage (contamination) predicted[26]. Table 5.1. Environment Manangement Programme cost Stage Which parameter will be attend Where the parameter will be attend Attend method of parameter Attend frequency Why the parameter will be attend crank enterprise A,B,C 01 meteorological parameters (warmth,blow,vap orization,rain) Project area Meteorology station continuous For analogy and record Project budget A,B,C,D1 02 geology and side stability Open-cost mining, rock casting area and bulk leach area Acceptable engineering and design Monthly,duri ng exploitation stage For obviate erosion, work and foreman safety Project budget B 03 dig’s handling properly Building and storage areas visual Daily, during building stage Make for conform the building plan Project budget

Implement an overall planning procedure, from conception to closure and rehabilitation, for all mine operations that use cyanide, based on an assessment of risks that maximises the benefits and minimises liabilities and environmental impacts. 13

Establish a cyanide management strategy as part of the mine's environmental management plan for implementing best practice.

Implement initial and ongoing cyanide management training for managers, workers and contractors, including maintenance contractors handling or exposed to cyanide - this training should cover both the everyday roles of personnel and how they respond to cyanide-related emergencies (including those caused by storm events).

Establish well-defined responsibilities for individuals with clear chains of command and effective lines of communication within the workforce.

Institute safe procedures for cyanide handling governing transport, storage, containment, use and disposal (including during periods of monsoonal rain).

Integrate the mine's cyanide and water management plans (taking into account seasonal and storm events).

Identify and implement appropriate options for reusing, recycling and disposing of residual cyanide from plant operations.

Conduct regular cyanide audits and revise cyanide management procedures where appropriate (and use the audit to more tightly manage cyanide during the wet and cyclone season).

Develop a cyanide occupational and natural environment monitoring program, supported through a sampling, sample preservation, analysis and reporting protocol. [27]. 14 Figure 5.3. Map of The Project Area, Topography, Existent Water, Pit and Their Sources

CONCLUSIONS From the onset of humanity until today, gold has been used in ornaments and as money. Nowadays, it is used more and more in electronics, communications, laser, optics, aviation and medical industries because of its superior (rare) qualities such as easy workability, non- corrosiveness and conductivity. Since it is non-allergic causing, the medical profession draws on it as well. Mining is an industrial activity that takes place in the natural environment, disturbing areas around where it occurs. These mining operations come with several direct and indirect environmental impacts which include waste-water spills and water pollution (eg. cyanide spills), visual changes, solid waste generation (containing waste cyanide solutions), ground vibration, noise pollution and air pollution. 15 53% of world gold production takes place in four industrialized countries: the USA, Canada, Australia and S.Africa. Compared to 1980, production has swelled by 13 times in the USA,

times in Australia and 3.5 times in Canada. Europe, excluding Russia has an annual gold production of 24 tons, 1% of world production. The choice of technology in gold mining is subject to the size of the gold particles in the ore and the chemical and physical attributes of the other minerals found in the ore rock. In the event that the gold particles in the ore are dispersed in microscopic dimensions, the method that’s used is dissolving by cyanide (cyanide leach), employed for about 85% of the world gold production. Calculations based on explorations in numerous mine areas and world gold formation models reveal that Türkiye’s gold potential is 6,500 tons. The mine value of this potential is worth $70 billion.With soaring gold prices and new landmarks in the technology of processing gold ore, the world gold mining has grown rapidly starting with the 1970s. In light of recent developments in world gold mining, our country has caught the attention of foreign investors, both in terms of geological diversity and the availability of the investment environment in the 1980s. Although simplicity and control of process parameters, cyanide containing tailings, disposal methods and management of those tailings considerably attract attention to the environment or human health and safety. However, industrial applications all over the world, take into account best environmental management system including tailings pond management plan, emergency action plan, occupational safety and health plan, mine closure plan as well as rapid response system. The first use of cyanide in the mining industry in Turkey was started at 1987 to benefit silver in Gümüşköy/Kütahya. Process tailings containing some amounts of sodium cyanide, free cyanide ions, weak acid-dissociable metal cyanide complex are directly disposed tailings pond which is applied natural degradation method. During past 15 years plant operation, any damage or accident by using cyanide did not recorded. Ovacık gold plant is the first gold beneficiation plant of Turkey and trial operation was started at May 2001. It is designed to treat 300 000 tons of ore per year to produce approximately 100

oz. of gold and same amount of silver. The mine comprises open pit and underground mining and conventional cyanide-CIP process. The Kisladag ore will be processed in a standard heap leach facility containing a three-stage crushing circuit, an overland conveyor to the heap leach pad, mobile conveyors and a stacker for placing the ore and a carbon adsorption facility (ADR plant) for recovering the gold. The carbon will be treated on site in a refinery and the final product will be gold doré bar. The average gold production in the first four years of operation is expected to be 143,000 ounces annually, increasing to 230,000 ounces annually after Year 5. The design of the Project incorporates measures for the prevention and prompt mitigation of uncontrolled releases of liquid effluent to the environment resulting from accidents, equipment failures or natural catastrophes.A Preliminary Closure Plan, based on the closure strategy presented in the EIA report, will be prepared aspart of the detailed engineering of the Project following on from the feasibility study. This plan will beupdated and revised through development and operation the mine, culminating in the establishment of a F Closure Plan prior to decommissioning. 16

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