No risk of cyanide spill at Oko West Gold Mine: Canadian firm

Jun 16, 2025 News

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…says tailings pond to use dilution from rainwater for cyanide reduction

Kaieteur News – Canadian mining company, G Mining Ventures (GMIN), says the risk of cyanide pollution from its Oko West Gold Project in Region Seven is not anticipated to be a significant risk.

“Cyanide leaching is not anticipated to be a significant risk during life of mine,” it was stated in a recently published report on the Oko West project. It was explained that the systems will be designed to remove most of the dangerous chemicals from mine waste before storage, with additional breakdown occurring naturally through rainwater before it is released into the environment.

Cyanide is a chemical commonly used in gold mining to help extract gold from rocks.  Cyanide leaching is a process where crushed rocks are mixed with a cyanide solution, which causes the gold particles to separate from the rest of the material. This method is widely used in the mining industry because it is efficient; however, if not handled properly, leftover cyanide in mining waste can harm water sources, soil, animals, and humans.

To prevent this, GMIN says its tailings, the leftover material from the gold extraction process, will go through a cyanide destruction system before being placed in the mine’s Tailings Storage Facility (TSF).

According to the report, the destruction process uses substances to chemically break down the cyanide into much safer forms. The company says this treatment will reduce cyanide to very low levels below 5 milligrams per litre (mg/L), which meets international environmental standards.

After this treatment, the tailings will be pumped into a special storage area where natural conditions will continue to break down and dilute any remaining cyanide over time.

“The tailings storage facility will receive tailings from the cyanide destruction circuit. The cyanide content in the tailings will be further reduced by natural cyanide degradation and dilution from rainwater to meet IFC standard prior to release in the environment,” the report states.

Moreover, GMIN also said that during the first year of mining operations, it will not allow any water to leave the storage area while testing is done to ensure that the systems are working as planned. It was noted that if these tests show that more treatment is needed, the company is prepared to build an additional effluent treatment plant to clean the water further before release.

Importantly, the company said all tailings will go through this chemical destruction process, and that because of this, cyanide leaching, the risk of cyanide escaping into the environment from the stored waste is not expected to be a problem during the life of the mine.

Early lab tests on waste samples showed small amounts of cyanide present, but GMIN noted these samples had not yet gone through the planned destruction process, which will be part of real operations.  GMIN says these safety measures are designed to protect the environment and keep the project in line with international best practices for responsible gold mining.

On Sunday, this publication reported that GMIN plans to begin applying for a series of permits for its Oko West Gold Project in Guyana from as early as the third quarter of 2025. The company plans to seek a Cyanide Permit, which is necessary for the storage and use of cyanide during the mine’s operational and commissioning phases, in the second quarter of 2026. Notably, approval for this is projected for August 2027, but the application process can only commence once GMIN secures its Mining Licence.

The Oko West project, located in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), remains GMIN’s flagship venture in Guyana as it advances towards production.

This publication recently reported that GMIN has expanded its land holdings in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) to 71 square kilometers.  GMIN is the 100% owner of the Oko West Gold Project, which falls under its main prospecting licence (PL) covering 44 square kilometers (10,890 acres).

The 44 square-kilometer PL area is currently considered an “advanced-stage exploration project”, and is expected to produce 350,000 ounces of gold annually from both open pit and underground mining over 12.3 years at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of US$1,123/oz. A recently published feasibility study shows that the project is poised to deliver strong financial returns, thanks to low production costs. The Oko West project stands out for its scale and high-grade resources.  The latest Mineral Resource Estimate includes 5.4 million ounces (Indicated) and 0.4 million ounces (Inferred).

The initial PL was issued to GMIN Ventures Guyana Inc. (formerly Reunion Gold Inc., now GMIN Guyana) on September 23, 2022, valid for three years with two possible one-year renewals. Under the Mining Act of 1989, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission administers such licences, which grant exclusive exploration rights over the licenced area.

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• Canadian mining, cyanide, GMIN, gold, Oko West

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