(De Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – After 30 years, Suralco is to return to the Lelydorp 1 mine to mine the remaining 3 million tons of bauxite there. The company has recently signed a mining contract with the Dutch company Royal Boskalis Westminster NV for the development and exploitation of this mine. The contract’s value is 125 miljoen Euros, Boskalis reports. Previously, this company has helped developing the Lelydorp 3 and Klaverblad mines. Suralco intends to start production of bauxite at the Lelydorp 1 mine in the first quarter of 2013. This guarantees the bauxite supplies to the Paranam refinery in 2013 and 2014. Nevertheless, the refinery cannot operate at full capacity until the Nassau mine starts production. As part of the preparations for the return to the old mine, an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) has been conducted by the international consultancy firm ERM (Environmental Resources Management). Part of the ESIA-process is the holding of public meetings to provide the local community and other interested parties with information about the studies and to discuss potential points for concern.
