Peruvian President Ollanta Humala said on Thursday Newmont Mining has "finally identified" with stricter environmental mitigation plans the government requested for the Conga gold mine project.
Humala did not say if the company had specifically told the government that it would accept calls for a more demanding environmental plan and move forward with the $4.8 billion project, which would be Peru's largest mining investment ever.
Conga has been stalled since November over protests by community groups who say it would hurt water supplies and cause pollution. The government has sought to mitigate the conflict by asking Newmont to make slight changes to its proposal.
"We welcome the fact that they have finally identified with our proposal," Humala told reporters when asked if Newmont had accepted recommendations to build larger reservoirs that could replace two or more alpine lakes.
Newmont, which says the project would guarantee year-round water supplies in towns that currently suffer shortages, declined to immediately comment on Humala's statement.
In an attempt to quell the protests against the mine, the government hired outside experts to recommend improvements for the project's environmental impact plan.
Conga, which is partly owned by local miner Buenaventura , would produce between 580,000 and 680,000 ounces of gold annually.
Newmont said last month that it would take a decision in late June on whether to push ahead with the project.
Peru, which has vast mineral resources, is the second largest producer of copper and sixth of gold, but many mining communities suffer from widespread poverty and complain Peru's decade-long economic boom has passed them by.
Source: Reuters
