On the 8th of February we inaugurated the gravimetric plant for the recovery of gold and other metals of the artisanal and small-scale mining organization (ASMO) Minas y Cuevas in Macuelizo, Honduras. One of the main benefits of the plant will be the ability to obtain gold without the use of mercury, thus reducing the environmental impact of the mining operation.
The plant inauguration was a big event, not only for the area, but for the whole country, and it was attended by various public figures like the German ambassador Thomas Wriessnig; the Secretary of State of Honduras Ministry of Energy, Natural Resources, Environment, and Mines, José Antonio Galdámez; Mining Services experts from the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM); the Director of the Honduras Institute of Geology and Mines (INHGEOMIN), Agapito Rodríguez, and more than 200 members of the ASMO.
Since 2017 the Alliance for Responsible Mining has been working, in collaboration with the Lundin Foundation, to support and train the miners of 7 communities in Honduras to adopt good mining practices for a sustainable local development. The plant inauguration is a great step for Minas y Cuevas, as they can now count on a more efficient processing method that will help them improve gold recovery.
We are very proud of being able to contribute to the improvement and strengthening of artisanal and small-scale mining communities that are willing to develop their social, environmental and work-related processes responsibly.