Dr Zanetor Rawlings
The Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has described Zijin Golden Ridge Limited’s Akyem mine as an example of the balance government wants to see between profitable mining and environmental responsibility.
The Minister made the comments following a visit to the mine with the Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, and other senior officials from the Ministry and the EPA.
The delegation toured the mine’s operation, inspected the Tailings Storage Facility, the 60-hectare on-site reforestation project, and the Water Treatment Plant. The company also updated the delegation on its work to build Ghana’s largest fleet of electric and hybrid haul trucks. The fleet currently comprises 30 electric haul trucks (91-tonne) and 16 hybrid trucks (140-tonne).
Speaking after the tour, Dr Agyeman-Rawlings noted, “It is very encouraging to see the local content, very encouraging to see the drive towards green technology. It is also very encouraging to see the efforts made towards afforestation and thinking ahead in terms of importing technology, technology transfer and how you are going to deal with the end of life of the batteries and probably other components as well.”
Speaking about the company’s plans for its electric fleet and what happens to the batteries at the end of their life, the Minister said, “I am glad to hear that they [Zijin] are already in the discussions about trying to set up a recycling facility for the batteries, which is very important because as we move towards the greater use of electric vehicles, we also need to start looking at the end of life of the batteries and the various parts.”
The Minister said Zijin’s Akyem operation, “is a standard that is impressive and I would like to commend you for that. This is an example of what we are looking for as a win-win when it comes to this type of venture where it is profit making but it’s not at the expense of everything else.”
The Chief Executive Officer of Zijin Golden Ridge Limited, Leon Zhang, thanked the Minister and the EPA for the visit, noting, “We are grateful to the Honourable Minister and the EPA for taking the time to see our work first-hand. Our responsibility is to manage that change carefully, restore what we disturb and use better technology to reduce our footprint.”
“The Minister has set a clear expectation. She expects the highest standards of environmental safety and governance. We accept that responsibility.” he added.
