Eldorado faces more Greek protests

 

Thousands in the northern, historic Greek region of Thrace were out in the streets today to protest Vancouver-based Eldorado Gold's Perama Hill mining project.
The protest comes just two weeks after a violent attack on an Eldorado mine site in Halkidiki.
Click here to see photos of today's protest.
About Perama Hill:

The Perama Hill gold project is a late-stage development project in Thrace, Greece. The property consists of two mining titles covering an area of 1,897.5 ha, and two mining exploration licenses covering an area of 1,762.7 ha.
Processing of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) application through the Greek Ministry of Environment (MoE) continues with approval anticipated during the first quarter of 2013.
Estimated development capital is $189 million. Upon receipt of all permits and licenses Eldorado will make a construction decision. Production is expected in 2015. ...
Source: Eldorado Gold Corp.

Photo 1: Perama Hill indicated in green (Courtesy of InfoMine.com's MapMine)

Photo 2: Greek, Bulgarian and Turkish Thrace indicated in yellow

Masked trespassers attack Eldorado's subsidiary project in Greece, set machinery on fire

Cecilia Jamasmie | February 17, 2013

Close to 40 masked intruders stormed into the facilities of a gold mine project in northern Greece Sunday morning, setting machinery and offices on fire, AP reports.
The Skouries project in the Halkidiki peninsula, run by a subsidiary of Canadian Eldorado Gold (TSX: ELD) (NYSE:EGO), has been the target of numerous and —at times— violent protests by locals and activists who strongly oppose the gold-copper mine being built.  They claim Hellas Gold’s operation, a firm 95% owned by Vancouver-based Eldorado, would devastate ancient forests and drive tourists away from the region.
Police said the attackers entered Hellas’ facility around 12.40 a.m. (2240 GMT), causing extensive damage with firebombs and flammable liquid. So far 27 people have been detained.
Despite ongoing opposition, Greek authorities support the endeavour, as it will create jobs and bring hundreds of millions into the struggling economy.
“In this difficult time — but also regardless of the circumstances — we owe it to ourselves to ensure the best possible exploitation of wealth this country has to offer to drive growth and bolster the economy,” AP quoted Deputy Energy and Environment Minister Asimakis Papageorgiou in January.
Opponents are not only worried about potential pollution. They also argue that unlike many other countries, the Greek state doesn’t get any royalties from mine concessions, so stands to gain only taxes and jobs.
Permits granted in 2004 for Stratoni, one of the Halkidiki mines currently operating and which is near Skouries, expire in 2026 but can be renewed twice for 25 years each time, free of charge.
Currently Eldorado is involved in four gold projects, all of them located in northern Greece.
Three of the mining prospects are at the planning stage. The fourth and largest, in the Halkidiki peninsula, was carried out more than 10 years ago another Canadian firm, TVX.
(Image of a protest in 2012, by Teacher Dude)

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