The Government of Guyana has given the green light to Reunion Gold for the terms that will govern the scope of its environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) for its Oko West project. This decision paves the way for the Canadian company to progress with critical permitting processes to advance its development journey.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rick Howes expressed his enthusiasm about this approval, stating that with the approval the company is committed to its accelerated timeline for Oko West, which includes completing a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) by the end of the second quarter of 2024.
“We are very pleased that the EPA has approved the Terms of Scope for the ESIA on Oko West, as this represents a significant milestone in the advancement of the permitting process for the project,” he said.
The journey to this point began in September 2023 when Reunion initiated the environmental permit application process, leading to collaborative efforts with Guyana’s environmental agency to outline the terms of scope (ToS) for the ESIA. This collaborative process involved engagements with governmental bodies and local communities to incorporate essential elements into the ToS.
Approval of the ToS is a crucial step for Reunion to proceed with its work on the ESIA, with plans to submit it in the early stages of the fourth quarter of this year.
Located approximately 95 km west of Georgetown, the Oko West project area lies south of the historically renowned “Oko” gold district.
Initial drilling efforts have confirmed the presence of gold mineralization, particularly in the northern segment of a 6-km-long gold-in-soil geochemical anomaly known as the Kairuni zone.
In June 2023, a resource estimate revealed promising figures, and a subsequent update earlier this year further solidified the project’s potential.
Since then, Reunion has made significant strides in completing the environmental and social baseline studies required for the ESIA. These studies encompassed various facets, including fieldwork for the second phase of baseline studies covering the physical baseline (groundwater and air quality), the biological baseline (plant, animal, and aquatic ecosystems), and additional community consultations.
With the completion of the PEA expected in the second quarter of 2024, Reunion aims to intensify efforts on both the feasibility study and environmental permits throughout the remainder of 2024 and into the first quarter of 2025. The company also aims to position itself for a construction decision by the second quarter of 2025.
