Social Responsibility

At Stratoni, Hellas Gold’s responsibility to both the environmental and local communities continues with the implementation of a tailings plan aimed at minimising surface storage, maximising underground replacement, diminishing both current and historic surface effects. An additional benefit of these works has been the reduction of water ingress to the mine hence lessening the volume of water requiring treatment.

The following specific initiatives demonstrate this commitment:

• Filter Press Technology – the installation of filter presses for dewatering fine tailings for dry storage rather than slurry disposal. This has reduced the volume of waste, providing cost effective long term storage without additional land take and eliminated free liquids before onsite placement.
  
• Water Treatment – a second water treatment plant has been installed close to the source of mine water, doubling treatment capacity for the process plant as well as improving operational efficiencies, and giving a capability to deal with peak storm conditions, proven in February 2010.
  
• Water Ingress – reducing rainwater entering the mine through the old sub-level caved areas has been achieved by the re-contouring of previously caved areas, backfilling old mine voids, compacting surface areas above and using pipes and channel to direct surface run-off away from old mining sites.
  
• Waste Rock – the processing and recycling of mine waste rock provides road base and aggregate for local contractors and for the use on site roads.
  
• Coarse Tailings – the coarse tailings produced at Stratoni are combined with cement creating backfill for mined out areas which provides underground support, reduces surface  waste piles and water ingress into old mine workings.
  
• Emergency Water Storage Facility – a facility for mine water storage in extreme rainfall events if both water treatment plants have reached capacity