MINING REFINING

Cambodia mines churn out 13 tonnes of gold dore bars

Thu Nov 07 2024

Cambodia’s gold mining sector continues to flourish with the country producing 12,558kg of dore bars with 90 percent gold solution, from gold mines run by private companies in the northeastern province of Mondulkiri as of November 3 this year, said a senior official of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) on Wednesday.

While addressing a press conference, MME’s Director-General Ung Dipola said that gold is extracted from mining operations conducted by private companies such as Renaissance Minerals Company and Rong Cheng Company in Mondulkiri.

“Renaissance Minerals Company in Mondulkiri produced 807 gold bars with a total weight of 12,536 kg while Rong Cheng Company, also located in Mondulkiri, produced 12 gold bars, equivalent to about 22 kg,” Dipola said.

The figures were disclosed as the authorities are on a mission to crack down on illegal gold mining operations run by villagers in the province. The business operation of Renaissance Minerals (Cambodia) Ltd in O’Khvav area, Keo Seima district, Mondulkiri is going according to its business plan, he said.

The news comes as a testament to Cambodia’s rich mineral resources and the increasing interest from international mining companies. Cambodia currently has 10 companies that are refining gold. Renaissance Minerals became the Kingdom’s first gold producer in June 2021, the day it began the commercial operation of its Okvau Gold Project in the Okvau area in the eastern corridor of Chung Phlas commune in Mondulkiri’s Keo Seima district.

The construction of the mines and their infrastructure began in mid-2020, with a total fixed-asset investment of about $120 million. Renaissance plans to refine three tonnes of gold ore every year for the first eight years of its operations, summing up to about 250 kg of gold ore per month.

Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/