Canadian mining company Greystar said Friday it will continue to look for ways to mine for gold in the north-Colombian Santurban region, despite opposition from local authorities and environmental groups.
In a statement published on the company’s website, Greystar clarified “that it does not intend to withdraw from its Angostura Project but will study the viability of alternative options for the project and continue to proceed with evaluating the entire project while working jointly with the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development as well as the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Colombia in resolving any outstanding issues.”
Colombia’s Energy Minister Carlos Rodado said the day before that “I received a call from the president and CEO of that company … who just told me that they have decided to withdraw the technical license request … and also the environmental license request.”
According to the Canadians, “Comments made yesterday could be incorrectly interpreted to mean that Greystar is fully withdrawing from the Project, but the intent is simply to desist from on-going environmental licensing to allow for a future re-filing in the terms that reflect concerns.”
Critics have said the mine planned by Greystar would affect Santurban, a so-called “paramo” area believed to be the source of rivers and streams that supply water to 2.2 million inhabitants in Colombia.