00:00Located at the ancient crossroads that link Europe and Asia is Armenia, a country rich
00:19in natural resources. In fact mineral products account for 60% of Armenia's total exports by
00:29value. Lydian International is a gold focused exploration and development
00:35company. In 2005 Lydian's geologists discovered the exciting new Amulsar gold
00:43deposit, the first truly significant mineral discovery in Armenia in 20 years.
00:59Since discovery, 90,000 meters of drilling have been completed.
01:15The deposit still remains open in all directions, increasing the potential for an even greater resource.
01:21Mine construction is due to start in late 2012, with mining expected to commence in late 2014.
01:30The mine life is expected to be in excess of 10 years, with the potential for a longer life contingent on new discoveries.
01:39Amulsar will be an open pit heap leach mine, the first such operation in Armenia.
01:56The heap leach pad and gold recovery plant will utilize the latest internationally recognized standards and safe practices.
02:04A Mulsar's ore contains gold and silver that can be readily extracted with recoveries of up to 85% using heap leach technologies.
02:14Lydian aims to develop an exemplary modern mine, which will utilize the latest technologies to minimize any environment impact.
02:25Once in production, the open pit will only be visible from a few points along the highway to the east.
02:32And a few points along the highway to the east.
03:06Visibility mitigation measures will include the immediate planting of poplars, birch and other suitable trees as a screening measure at key roadside locations.
03:36Guidelines from the World Health Organization were used to assess community noise levels.
03:45These were calculated for daytime and nighttime hours using noise levels from blasting and operating equipment.
03:51The results met the acceptable noise level criteria for all the surrounding communities.
04:03Nine years of historical data collected by the Armenia State Meteorological Department was used to assess potential dust impact on nearby communities.
04:13Generally, dust settles within 100 metres of its point of release, with a small fraction of lighter particles travelling up to 1,000 metres away from their source.
04:31Results indicate that it's extremely unlikely that any measurable dust will travel to the villages.
04:39To assist with dust control, roads will be sprayed, crushers enclosed in buildings and the ore conveyor system to the heat bleach pad covered.
04:49Lydian will also implement a dust management plan as part of its occupational health and safety system.
04:55The heat bleach facility is designed to have zero cyanide discharge and will be strictly controlled by adopting the standards of the International Cyanide Management Code,
05:07practised by 106 industry peers worldwide.
05:13Several water monitoring wells surrounding the heat bleach will be in effect throughout the life of the mine,
05:19with leak detection and control systems in place within and around the pad.
05:23A storm pond has been designed to eliminate any possibility of ground water pollution.
05:42Springs 15 kilometres north of the project cannot be affected since they are located on a higher elevation and source their water upstream of Amulsar.
05:50Lydian is committed to working closely with its local communities and leaving a positive sustainable impact on the region.
06:01Some of the company's community activities include a medical centre in Gorhaik, which has been supplied with up-to-date technology.
06:11Lydian has also provided a natural gas supply to Saravan, while in Gundervas and Gorhaik a kindergarten and anniversary hall have been fully renovated.
06:23Using international best practices, the mine areas once ended will be re-contoured, seeded and planted with local vegetation.
06:33It's estimated that within three to five years, the Amulsar site will blend into the surrounding environment.
06:47Amulsar will be constructed, operated and managed to all internationally accepted levels of health, safety, community care and environmental stewardship.
06:57Once in production, Amulsar will require 300 full-time employees, with the vast majority recruited and trained from nearby communities.
07:10Lydian International is certain that the success of the Amulsar Gold Project will provide positive economic and social benefits to local communities and to Armenia.
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