Welcome to Petaquilla FAQs

Monday, September 20, 2010

Petaquilla is an emerging gold producer in the country of Panama. This site is specially designed to answer all the concerns and questions you may have about Petaquilla; to be transparent with the communities and society that receives the impact.

FAQs

Frequent Answers & Questions

  • 1.  Why the name of Petaquilla?

    The name is because Petaquilla Mining Project is located in the Cerro Petaquilla. Cerro Petaquilla is a hill located in the province of Colon, Panama.

    Location Name Type
       
    Alternative Name: Cerro Petaquilla
    Name Type: Native
    Area / State: Colon
       
    Coordinates & Location Type
       
    Area Type: Hypsographic
    Location Type: Hill
    Latitude: 8.916667
    Longitude: -80.73333
    Latitude (DMS): 8° 55' 0 N
    Longitude (DMS): 80° 43' 60 W

  • 2.  Does Petaquilla Gold have an environmental impact study?

    Yes and there are several: first, we have the Environmental Feasibility Study of Mineral Resources, which dates from 1998. Upon approval of the law 41 or general law of environment 1998, the company has availed itself of the provisions of contract law, which states that might be expected to have better prices for metals (Cu and Au).

    The start of the construction phase was done with the existence and validity of the Environmental Feasibility Study. ANAM did not accept it and demanded to submit a new Environmental Impact Study, the company submitted it and it was approved.
  • 3.  Is Petaquilla Gold working without authorization of ANAM?

    No, Petaquilla Gold is working with the permission of the ANAM, EIA-Category III, all our activities are covered in the EIA approved 0971-1504-09 memo, resolution DIEORA IA-809-208.
  • 4.  Is Petaquilla Gold being reluctant to comply as ordered by the Supreme Court?

    On the contrary, Petaquilla Gold presented a defense of guarantees before the Court, which was well received and suspending the effects of mulct ANAM insisted on imposing, being then that the (previous) administration of ANAM was opposed to abide. That's disrespect.
  • 5.  How many penalties has ANAM imposed to Petaquilla Gold?

    One mulct as I explained on appeal and the shelter is in the Court.
  • 6.  Is Petaquilla Gold already in full production phase?

    First we were calibrating the equipment and operating systems to make sure that all safety measures worked as well as environmental provisions. From November 18, 2009, we began commercial production.
  • 7.  So are there or not Cyanide downloads for the part of the project?

    Petaquilla Gold has never carried any downloads to nature, or to rivers or the ground or the air, neither voluntarily neither in a crash. What happens is that water samples have been interpreted and published capricious news that are distant from reality. Traces found of cyanide in water, are lower than 0.001 mg / l, which are generated in the very nature and this can be proved making samples in any river in the Republic. Also COPANIIT Standard provides a maximum of 0.2 mg / l in case of unloading, and I repeat, we have not made any downloads.
  • 8.  Is Petaquilla Gold deforesting and if so, how much?

    No, on the contrary ... we were replanting. We had worked in a concession of 100 hectares, but we already have worked on 46 hectares with direct impact on the site, while in other processes have been replanted 19 hectares, 13 are left and advanced regeneration in a reforestation program acres of 1000N and another 54 hectares in ICACAL.
  • 9.  Is there contaminated water sources?

    There are reports of water sampling, realized periodically by the MITI, also ANAM and the Defensoria have performed samples of public access are also involved people from the communities and all figures show results below 0.01 mg / l. But it is worth explaining that the company discovered that there were dead fish and make a complaint to the authorities, although no research was done by the authorities to our complaint, we discovered that it was the tank washing products chemicals, those who had killed the fish, this is a very common phenomenon in areas where they are sold, handling and using such products without any control.
  • 10.  Are there any contaminated land?

    No, as I explained, there is no discharge, or the soil, or water or air, all is planned to operate in a closed loop system with high levels of safety and containment in case of eventualities.
  • 11.  Are there sick people, if so, how many?

    Acording to the authorities who administer health in the country, such as the MINSA, CSS and others who perform regular inspections, recorded no diseases, only common diseases, endemic, zero deaths, one aneurysm.
  • 12.  Are there conflicts of land with the inhabitants?

    There are no land disputes, everything has been developed all the way as planned and agreed, for now there are only about ten cases without finalize the relevant procedures, including agreements in addition to the purchase of land. In addition, the Mining Project had employed comunity residents and provide scholarship to children of the comunity. On the other hand, no one has asked to leave their properties, on the contrary they have been warned to take care of the speculators who insist on buying land and then they negotiate with the projects. This topic has proceeded as stipulated in the contract law Numeral 12, Clause 3.
  • 13.  Any labour disputes?

    Which often exist in all worker-employer relationship in all economic activities. There is also a syndicate that looks after the interests of its members.
  • 14.  How much water does the process require?

    The production process requires a recharge of 45m3/s and is recirculated after several times, 1-2 times a month.

  • 15.  Which is the approximate number of people benefited by the project?

    In a set of 60 communities, benefiting approximately 7,500 people.
  • 16.  How much Social Investment ascends?

    Over the past three years this Mining Project has invested some 10 million two hundred thousand dollars