Geopromining Gold Company states it has already been mining lean ore in Sotq gold mine and the reserved will be exhausted in 15 years and that’s the reason why Ararat gold extracting factory proceeded to new Albion technology.

In 2011 the company set up a crushing and screening plant to extract gold from lean ore near the gold mine, in the administrative territory of Sotq Village without any permitting documents. Then for the legalization of the crushing and screening plant the company used project documents for 1988, which don’t have any legal force because of prescription of document submission and not launching project on time. On 30 May public hearings were organized on “Re-equipment of Sotq Open Mine” in Sotq Village, which also included the aforementioned crushing and screening plant.

In accordance with the project, particles sized +50 mm, -50+30 mm, and -30 mm are formed after crushing. The mass sized -30 mm is transferred to Ararat, gold extracting factory. Large particles, i.e. dumps, won’t be located in any separate are, but will be used as road-building material. “Formed dumps are missing in the list of industrial wastes approved by Nature Protection Minister Order no. 430 dated on 25.12.2006,” the project says. The project also notes that environmental fees for these wastes make up 0.00 AMD. That is, it turns out that industrial wastes are spread along the road in the territory of Sevan drainage basin, which contain heavy and toxic metals, but nobody bears any responsibility for that. Reminder, that the drainage basin of Lake Sevan is protected by the law.

In 2011 the Chairman of Greens Union of Armenia Hakob Sanasaryan applied to Public Prosecutor’s Office as regards with the unlawfulness of locating a crushing and screening plant in Sotq, but he didn’t receive any final answer from the prosecutor’s office. In his conversation with EcoLur Sanasaryan said that he intends once again to apply to the prosecutor’s office in this regard.