Australian mining company Renaissance Minerals has produced six tons of gold after receiving a license to mine for gold in Mondulkiri, according to the province’s deputy governor.

At a press conference on April 6, Sorn Sarum, deputy governor of Mondulkiri province, said there are 14 companies studying and investing in gold mining, equal to 18 licenses and 11 licenses for handicrafts.

“The Australian mining company Renaissance Minerals that got officially licensed and engaged in the gold mining business for the first time on June 21, 2021, until now has produced six tons of gold mining in Keo Seima District,” Sarum said.

Director of Mondulkiri Provincial Department of Energy, Ty Sophal, said after carrying out studies, there is some potential for other mining but there has been no uptake by companies. Currently, there are two officially two companies investing in gold mining in Mondulkiri from Australia and China.

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For China, Sophal said, “The company is currently preparing its infrastructure to extract gold, there are a few other issues that need to be addressed around the impact. At first, they had produced about 2kg of gold. If it’s more than that, the company can officially announce operations.”

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had in the past mentioned that Cambodia expects to generate almost $200 million each year in pre-tax flow from the gold mining project. The Ministry has given licenses to seven companies to mine gold in Cambodia.

chhorn.raksmey@kiripost.com