The government has just issued the first commercial mining licence, marking a milestone for Cambodia’s nascent mining industry.
Mesco Gold, the recipient of the licence, has now green light to extract and process ore at its gold project in Ratanakiri province.
“This is the first mining licence to be issued in the country, so it’s a pretty big deal,” said Richard Stanger, president of the Cambodian Association for Mining and Exploration Companies (CAMEC). “It’s the first licence issued under the new [mining] legislation and covers mining and processing the ore.”
Stanger also said that Mesco’s licence was the first to include a full-scale environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA).
Mesco Gold, a subsidiary of Indian steelmaker Mesco Steel Ltd, purchased the right to develop and mine the Phum Syarung prospect from Canadian mineral exploration firm Angkor Gold Corp in 2013.
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