Mining Sector

Prizma’s engagement in the mining sector range from specialized environmental and social risk assessments, supporting Independent Engineers and Independent Monitoring Groups, to international arbitration and sustainability reporting. Examples are highlighted below.

Centerra Gold’s Kumtor Gold Mine is a high altitude open-pit gold mine located in the Kyrgyz Republic. Kumtor is expected to produce 450,000 to 500,000 ounces of gold in 2018. It was originally project financed by the EBRD and IFC in 1995.

In recent years, the Kumtor operation contributed approximately 10 percent of the GNP, over 25 percent of the total industrial output and nearly 40 percent of the total national exports for the Kyrgyz Republic.

Prizma was initially engaged to provide independent assessments of a series of critical reports by Kyrgyz commissions relating to the environmental performance of the Kumtor gold mine. Subsequently, Prizma was invited to conduct a series of other environmental and sustainability interventions, including the following:

  • Assist Kumtor to pursue Cyanide Code certification for its mining operation
  • Conduct a cyanide-wildlife risk study
  • Train staff to conduct daily wildlife monitoring and provide QA/QC
  • Conduct a materiality assessment and develop Kumtor’s first GRI-based sustainability report
  • Estimate Kumtor’s GHG footprint
  • Train community relations, environment and communication teams
  • Develop Kumtor’s first biodiversity management strategy and plan
Prizma has also supported Independent Engineers with their review of other mining projects and operations on behalf of investors, and conducted sustainability reporting-related assurance engagements.

Photo credit: Kumtor