Options for Rio Tinto's Kelian mine closure endorsed

Gold mining company PT Kelian Equatorial Mining (KEM), a unit of Rio Tinto on Tuesday said that Kelian Mine Closure Steering Committee (KMCSC) had endorsed options for mine closure.

?Several recommendations regarding Kelian mine closure options for environment, dams, communities and site assets were endorsed by the KMCSC which is comprised of stakeholders from government, community, NGOs and KEM/Rio Tinto. However, there is still a long way to go to achieve a responsible mine closure following cessation of operations in 2004,? said Charlie Lenegan, co-chairman of KMCSC president director of KEM.

On the environmental area, the committee endorsed the performance indicators for water quality and mine closure rehabilitation. For the security of dams and other permanent structures, a work plan and a scope of works for a risk management plan were endorsed.

In the communities area, a work plan for studies to investigate options for the transfer of KEM?s community projects was endorsed. KEM?s community projects included health, education, road maintenance, food security, infrastructure projects and electricity as well as a range of capacity building projects.

The MCSC recommended that the 6,750 hectares of mining area be developed into a protected forest area after the closure.

KEM, which operates an open pit gold mine in West Kutai, East Kalimantan, since 1992 is 90 percent owned by Rio Tinto.(alex)