Hellas Gold calls for issue of Skouries mine licenses

The deadline this Thursday that Eldorado Gold has set the Greek state – threatening to suspend its investment program in Greece – is fast approaching, and the Canadian company’s local subsidiary Hellas Gold has returned to the issue of the pending licenses for the Skouries gold mine in Halkidiki, separating them from the arbitration process.

“There is no legal or contractual reason for the non-issuing of licenses for the Skouries project,” the company stated, citing the contract to back up its opinion.

Hellas Gold has fulfilled all the necessary actions for the Skouries permits that are still pending, so the issue of the licenses is absolutely legitimate, the company said in its statement. It also clarified that all the main licenses and approvals have already been issued for Skouries, and it is only the secondary permits that remain outstanding – but which are, however, necessary for the work at Skouries to progress.

It goes on to stress that according to the concession contract, the issue of those licenses is irrelevant to the arbitration procedure, which only concerns the metallurgical plant at Madem Lakkos, which requires the output from Skouries and Olympias for its operation.