Romania’s Waters and Forests Ministry has drafted a minister’s order for clearing 56 hectares of forest to make way for the gold exploitation at Certej in Hunedoara county.

The information was signaled by the Agent Green environmental association.

Deva Gold, the company that operates the gold project at Certej, said it would provide 168 hectares of land for afforestation in compensation for the woods that will be cut, local Adevarul reported. The company has also paid RON 6.5 million (EUR 1.4 million) to have the 56 hectares of woodland removed from the national forest fund.

The gold exploitation project at Certej is controlled by Canadian group Eldorado Gold, which owns 80% of Deva Gold. The remaining 20% are held by the Romanian state.

The Certej project is expected to produce some 4.04 tons of gold and 20.52 tons of silver each year.

editor@romania-insider.com