Pueblo Viejo Mining Unit
Client
Pueblo Viejo Dominicana Corporation (Barrick Pueblo Viejo)Location
Sánchez Ramírez, Dominican RepublicHighlights
- Environmental impact assessment
- Biodiversity monitoring
- Baseline studies
- Specific studies of threatened species
Project Overview
The Pueblo Viejo production unit, which is owned by Pueblo Viejo Dominicana Corporation (Barrick Pueblo Viejo), is located in the Fiscal Reserve of Montenegro, covering an area of 4,800 ha, 15 km from Cotuí, in Sánchez Ramírez and 60 km from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
Project Role
Since 2013, Knight Piésold has developed various studies ranging from environmental audits, studies of the varied and endemic biodiversity, and environmental impact studies.
The operation is projected until 2036, with a sustainable decline in the gold production rate year-on-year, due to the reduction in the grade. In order to keep the production level above 800,000 ounces during the next 10 years, plans include increasing the processing rate from 8.76 to 14–16 MTon/year and extending the useful life of the mine from 2036 to 2046, allowing the addition of new mineral reserves. The study for this expansion was developed by Knight Piésold and approved in 2020. Knight Piésold is currently undertaking the environmental impact assessment for the development of a new tailings deposit in the Cuance River basin.