Modern Mining August 2020

of the ESIA was announced on May 4, 2020. Due to the accelerated strategy for moving the project forward, the company appointed Digby Wells to conduct an ESIA in accordance with the International Finance Corporation Performance Standards for the project. The collection of baseline data and social-economic surveys for the ESIA is ongoing. Final deliverables will include stakeholder engagement process, specialist baseline and impact assessment studies (including biodiversity, water and social studies), an integrated environmental and social management programme, a conceptual closure and rehabilitation plan, a resettlement policy framework and a community development plan. Cora previously worked with Digby Wells to com- plete an initial environmental and social screening study in 2019 as part of the project’s Scoping Study. The Scoping Study showed Sanankoro’s potential to be a highly profitable standalone oxide mine, delivering a high internal rate of return and short capex payback period. Through the ESIA process, the baseline environment will be further scrutinised and potential environmental and socio-economic impacts associated with the project will be estab- lished and quantified. This will be used to inform a comprehensive and meaningful management pro- gramme in consultation with the host communities. The company remains focused on resource growth and then the delivery of the Definitive Feasibility Study before the end of 2021. “I am delighted to report that the Digby Wells team has picked up where they left off with the Scoping Study. We appointed them a little over three months ago and in challenging conditions their team has been actively carrying out, with the support of the Cora field team, a number of parallel monitor- ing programmes and community surveys. The ESIA is a critically important part of developing a mining

project so it’s pleasing that we are making good progress so quickly. “The ESIA is expected to be completed in the middle of 2021 aligning it with our plans to move Sanankoro towards development as quickly as pos- sible,” concludes Monro. 

Dust monitoring kit for the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the Sanankoro Gold Project.

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