Russian gold miners have taken the initiative to create a unified Mining Code. This is necessary to overcome bureaucratic barriers that have been hindering the development of the industry and the commissioning of new fields for years.
In the industry gold mining many regulatory contradictions have accumulated. To eliminate them, the Union of Gold Miners of the Urals proposes to develop a special Mining Code. This was stated by the Chairman of the Union, Viktor Eganov. The main goal is to return valuable time to the business.
Now the path from exploration application to launch production extends over seven years. The biggest difficulties arise at the stages of licensing and approval of land plots. New rules of the Ministry of Natural Resources for solid minerals have added problems. Companies were required to re-evaluate or re-explore reserves within the same time frame. It’s almost impossible to do this. For failure to meet schedules, subsoil users face inspections and large fines, including stopping the entire project.
Business offers a reasonable solution: set a minimum threshold for inventory deviations. Small discrepancies will not need to be coordinated with the state, which will save months of work. Another headache is forest lands. The transfer of a site to another category according to the regulations lasts a year, but in practice it takes two years or more. Each such delay slows down the creation of new jobs and the flow of investment into the region.
The paradox is that while existing companies struggle with regulation, many already issued licenses are not used. Rosprirodnadzor has counted almost 170 “dormant” licenses for placer gold. The main reason for their inaction is the overwhelming bureaucratic burden and high risks of sanctions.
The creation of the Mining Code could be a turning point for the gold mining industry. Simplifying the rules will reduce costs, awaken dormant fields and speed up the commissioning of new projects. This is important not only for business, but also for the economy of the entire country.
Source: @nerzhavey
