Last update:
2017-04-21

Baita Craciunesti Teascu gold deposit, Romania

A gold exploration site purchased by Gabriel Resources in the NATURA 2000 site ROSPA 0132, at only 5km away from Certej mining area



Description:

Băiţa locality lies in the north of Hunedoara county, at the base of Metaliferi Mountains, 25 km distant from Deva city and 24 km distant from Brad town. Băiţa commune covers 11,139 ha and includes 11 villages, totalling 3,582 inhabitants. The specific activities in the area are animal farming and agriculture. The mining area is located outside the built-up area of Barbura village, Băiţa commune, on a land with forest vegetation, pastures and meadow lands under state ownership. The exploration area lies within the NATURA 2000 site ROSPA 0132 - Special Avifauna Protection Area Metaliferi Mountains. The site is characterised by two major groups of habitat: open lands and forests. According to the analysis performed by professors of the Academy for Economic Studies in Bucharest, Gabriel Resources purchased in 1999 two projects, Bolcana and Băiţa-Crăciuneşti, holding thus 6 projects in the Golden Quadrilateral of Romania at that time: Rosia Montana, Bucium, Certej, Zlatna, Baita, Craciunesti, Bolcana. The same year Deva Gold was awarded the exploration license as operator of the Băiţa-Crăciuneşti project. In February 2000, Gabriel announced the company restructuring and the splitting of the existing project portfolio to two separate companies, Gabriel Resources and European Goldfields. The latter was allocated the Certej, Zlatna, Bolcana and Băiţa-Crăciuneşti projects.

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Basic Data
Name of conflict:Baita Craciunesti Teascu gold deposit, Romania
Country:Romania
State or province:Hunedoara
Location of conflict:Baita Craciunesti
Accuracy of locationHIGH (Local level)
Source of Conflict
Type of conflict. 1st level:Mineral Ores and Building Materials Extraction
Type of conflict. 2nd level:Mineral ore exploration
Mineral processing
Specific commodities:Gold
Silver
Project Details and Actors
Project details

Name of mining area: area Baita Craciunesti, Teascu deposit

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Project area:11,139
Level of Investment for the conflictive project3,900,000.00
Type of populationRural
Affected Population:3,500
Start of the conflict:30/07/2012
Company names or state enterprises:National Company for Copper, Gold and Iron - Minvest S.A. (Minvest Deva) from Romania
Deva Gold SA from Romania
Eldorado Gold Corporation (eldoradogold) from Canada
Relevant government actors:National Agency for Mineral Resources (NAMR)
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMSC)
Agency Hunedoara (Hunedoara EPA)
Hunedoara County Council
Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available:The Mining Watch Romania network
Independent Centre for the Development of Environmental Resources
Alburnus Maior Association
Efectul Fluture Association
Conflict & Mobilization
IntensityLATENT (no visible organising at the moment)
Reaction stagePREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase)
Groups mobilizing:Farmers
Neighbours/citizens/communities
Forms of mobilization:Involvement of national and international NGOs
Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism
Media based activism/alternative media
Objections to the EIA
Public campaigns
Impacts
Environmental ImpactsPotential: Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Desertification/Drought, Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Food insecurity (crop damage), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Noise pollution, Soil contamination, Soil erosion, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Groundwater pollution or depletion, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity, Mine tailing spills
Other Environmental impactsPotential significant damage to the protected area - ROSPA 0132 in the Metaliferi Mountains
Health ImpactsPotential: Accidents, Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc…), Occupational disease and accidents
Socio-economical ImpactsPotential: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Displacement, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Militarization and increased police presence, Violations of human rights, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place
Outcome
Project StatusPlanned (decision to go ahead eg EIA undertaken, etc)
Conflict outcome / response:Corruption
Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?:No
Briefly explain:The National Agency for Environmental Protection accepted the EIA proposed by DEVA GOLD SA, even though it states that there is "a potential, significant impact on the protected natural area of the site ROSPA 0132 in the Metaliferi Mountains".
Sources & Materials
Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc)

Approval of the EIA by the National Agency for Environmental Protection
[click to view]

References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries

About Baita Craciunesti - Teascu deposit
[click to view]

Ming Watch Romania - Transilvania, Teren Minat (in Rumanian)
[click to view]

The Băiţa – Crăciuneşti gold mines – historical guidelines
[click to view]

Greennews - “Autunno romeno”. Un vento che soffia nell’Est che ancora non conosciamo, Oct 2013 (in Italian)
[click to view]

THE APPROVAL STAGES FOR THE MINING PROJECT BĂIŢA CRĂCIUNEŞTI, TEASCU DEPOSIT
[click to view]

Meta information
Contributor:Roxana Pencea, Raluca Vestemeanu - Mining Watch Romania, [email protected]
Last update18/08/2019
Conflict ID:1951
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Comments
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