- Wealth Resources for Mining Company (WRM) intends to establish a gold exploration and exploitation project in Shalateen, Egypt. The project (Egat Gold Mine) is located in the southernmost part of the Egyptian eastern desert.
- The Egat concession is located in Wadi Allaqi, Shalateen, with a total concession area of about 700 km2 and is about 85 km to the west of Shalateen/Halaib main road.
- According to the EIA categorization system established by the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), projects involving mining and extraction of mineral resources (including precious metals) are classified as category “C” that requires a full EIA study. Environics was commissioned to carry out the study.
- Based on the Client’s request, Environics stated this assignment with undertaking a detailed desktop review environmental study aiming at describing the baseline environmental and social setting of the project area, the legal and administrative framework as well as scoping the main potential environmental concerns. The study provided recommendations to guide the upcoming EIA for the project.
- As a result of the strict security measures and the presence of protectorates in Shalateen, the area has not experienced any ecological changes over the years. Thus, the literature information in the desktop review study is largely identical to the current status on the ground. Accordingly, the environmental and social baseline of the project area required for the ESIA was extracted from the desktop review study.
- The ESIA was carried out to satisfy the requirements of the Egyptian regulations, and it comprised: Project description; Legal and administrative framework; Description of baseline environment; Project alternatives; Environmental impacts identification and assessment and mitigation measures; Environmental management and monitoring plan, and Stakeholders consultation.
