AIMC to complete first stage of ore waste storage facility expansion in Gadabay in November

Azerbaijan International Mining Company Limited (AIMC, a subsidiary of the British gold mining company Anglo-Asian Mining, AAM) will complete the first stage of expanding the tailings storage facility at the Gadabay deposit in November 2024, Report informs, citing AAM's announcement.

On August 5, AIMC received permission from the Azerbaijani government to raise the wall of the existing tailings dam, the company said, adding that the first stage of work, which involves raising the wall by 2.5 meters, is expected to be completed in November 2024.

As reported earlier, the tailings dam wall will be raised by 7 meters to provide sufficient storage capacity for 2-3 years of production activities. The raising will be carried out in two stages.

A tailings storage facility is a technological object with an earthen dam where processing waste, tailings, are stored: a mixture of crushed rock, water, and residual reagents.

In July 2023, the independent international consulting company Micon conducted a health, safety, and environmental inspection of the tailings storage facility in Gadabay to ensure that this facility does not pose a danger to local residents and company employees. The inspection did not reveal any air quality issues, and no cyanide was detected in any soil sample exceeding the limits of analytical detection.

The PSA-type contract was signed on August 21, 1997, and provided for the development of 6 deposits.

Azerbaijan holds 51% share in the contract and Anglo Asian Mining PLC owns 49%. Currently, AAM owns the rights to develop 8 contract areas in Azerbaijan but is engaged in precious metal mining from only two contract areas - Gadabay and Gosha.