The Stop Mines collective has always opposed a prospecting project for gold mines in the territory of Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche.
A prospecting permit, not an exploitation permit, had thus been filed by Cordier Mines, a French subsidiary of the Australian mining company Montezuma Mining Company, five years ago.
However, no prospecting having taken place during these five years, the permit is no longer valid, and Cordier – whom we have not been able to reach – can no longer undertake anything.
The said permit covered an area of 301 km² in ten municipalities: Château-Chervix, Coussac-Bonneval, La Meyze, La Roche-l’Abeille, Ladignac-le-Long, Le Chalard, Meuzac, Saint-Priest-Ligoure, Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, Jumilhac-le-Grand (Dordogne ).
Pollution
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Stop Mines 87 (there is an identical collective in Creuse, which also houses gold mining projects) considers that this industry is polluting. “There are ten grams of gold for one ton of waste. Non-trivial waste that contains other elements, in particular arsenic. When the mines close, these residues are washed out and sent to the river,” underlines one of the association’s administrators, Alain Dorange.
Three other licenses in progress
The latter and his friends are therefore satisfied. But no one is crying victory.
Indeed, in the south of Haute-Vienne, three other exploration permits were filed in 2020 and are therefore still active. They are the responsibility of Compagnie des Mines Arédiennes, whose head office is in Orléans. It is a subsidiary of the Canadian company Aquitaine Gold Corporation.
One, covering an area of 29.53 km2, is located in the municipalities of Coussac-Bonneval, Château-Chervix, Saint-Priest-Ligoure, Meuzac and La-Roche-l’Abeille.
Another, on an area of 7.11 km2, concerns the municipalities of Chalard and Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche.
The last, over 3.13 km2, is planned for Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche and La-Roche-l’Abeille.
These permits must include an impact study and a public inquiry. An operation, on the other hand, implies new administrative procedures.
Finally, Daniel Boisserie, mayor of Saint-Yrieix and president of the community of communes, assures that he has never yet had a request for an appointment with the representatives of the Compagnie des Mines Arédiennes.
The south of Haute-Vienne is indeed a gold-bearing region. Mining activity is attested there from the 5th century BC and from 1920 to 2002, a gold industry flourished there.
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