Aura Minerals Reactivates Era Dorada Gold Mine in Guatemala

Aura Minerals has reactivated the Era Dorada goldmining project in Guatemala after receiving a construction license from the Guatemalan government. The Canadian multinational plans to develop the site as an underground mine, projecting an annual production of 111,000 ounces of gold for the first four years of operation.

The project has a 29-year history of conflict, having previously been owned by Goldcorp and Bluestone Resources. While Aura Minerals pledges to use a water-purification plant and a closed-loop recycling system to prevent environmental damage, local residents and activists express fear over air quality and water scarcity. Community members in La Lima report that previous excavations led to drying wells.

Critics and the Central American Alliance Against Mining argue the project relies on a flawed 2007 Environmental Impact Assessment. They claim the original assessment was approved through corruption and fails to provide a safe plan for the disposal of arsenic and cyanide, threatening the Ostúa River and Lake Güija.