Cerro Blanco

Project Phase / Fase del proyecto:

Despite receiving an exploitation licence in 2007, the Cerro Blanco project faced repeated technical and engineering difficulties preventing production. In 2013 Goldcorp suspended mining operations at the Cerro Blanco site. In 2017, Bluestone Resources Inc. purchased the mine, undertaking new feasibility studies and engineering work. In 2021, it published a new feasibility study proposing a change from subterranean to open pit mining. In October 2021 it was preparing to submit a new Environmental Impact Assessment to obtain approval to redevelop and significantly expanded the project, aiming to be in production by 2024.

Exploration Start Date / Fecha de inicio de la exploración:

1996

Exploitation Start Date / Fecha de inicio de la explotación:

Licence issued in 2007, but exploitation not initiated as of October 2020

Extraction Type / Método de extracción:

Subterranean

Open pit

Country / País:

Guatemala

Company / Empresa:

Parent Company: Glamis Gold Ltd. (Canada): (1998-2006)

Parent Company: Goldcorp Inc. (Canada): (2006-2017)

Parent Company: Bluestone Resources Inc. (Canada): (2017-present)

Subsidiary: Entre Mares de Guatemala, S.A. (subsidiary of Goldcorp Inc. and later Bluestone Resources Inc.)

Subsidiary: Elevar Resources (formerly Entre Mares de Guatemala)

Natural Resource / Recurso natural:

Gold

Silver

Municipality, Department / Municipio, Departamento:

Asunción Mita, Jutiapa

Region / Región:

Central America

Legal Actions / Acciones Legales:

1997 Enactment of Treaty for the Execution of the Trifinio Plan

1997-2015 Guatemalan Mining Laws and Amendments [Cerro Blanco]

2005- Community Consultation Processes [Cerro Blanco]

2007 Community files legal opposition to Environmental Impact Assessment

2008- Moratoriums on Metallic Mining [Cerro Blanco]

2008-2013 Constitutional Challenges against Guatemalan Mining Laws [Cerro Blanco]

2010 Ethics Tribunal on Border Mining [Cerro Blanco]

2010 ILO Criticizes Guatemala on Mining and Indigenous Communities [Cerro Blanco]

2011-2018 Constitutional Challenge of Draft Regulation on Indigenous Consultation Processes [Cerro Blanco]

2012 IACHR hearing on the Human Rights of People Affected by Metallic Mining in El Salvador

2013- IACHR Petition filed by Council of Mayan and Xinka Peoples [Cerro Blanco]

2014- Citizen Transborder Treaty Drafting [Cerro Blanco]

2015-2016 Constitutional challenge to Cerro Blanco exploitation licence

2016 Investigation by Human Rights Ombudsperson [Cerro Blanco]

2018- Human Rights Ombudspersons of El Salvador and Guatemala coordinate actions on transborder impacts

2019 Meeting in Congress to question government officials on Cerro Blanco

2019 Salvadoran NGOs submit report to UN Universal Periodic Review

Political Actions / Acciones Políticas:

2009- Central American environmentalists join forces against extractive projects

2009 Protest marches against Goldcorp

2010 Roadblock at Guatemala and El Salvador border

2011 Demonstration against attempts to legislate community consultations

2012 Demonstration against mining and increased violence

2012 Campesina March for Mother Earth

2013 Rally at Guatemalan Embassy in San Salvador

2013 Guatemala-El Salvador Bi-National Commission on Cerro Blanco

2013 Mesa Nacional calls for Permanent Suspension of Cerro Blanco

2013 San Salvador Archbishop suggests international complaint on Cerro Blanco mine

2014 Regional Forum on the Impact of Mining in Central America

2014 International Seminar on Public Finances and the Extractive Industry

2015 Maya Q'eqchi' Encampment in front of the National Palace

2015 Research Institute states EITI is Ineffective

2016 Discussion Group on Implementation of EITI in Guatemala

2017 Forum on Extractivism and Human Rights in Guatemala

2018 Call to Reject Proposed Law on Indigenous Consultation Procedures

2019 Publication of new report on crossborder impact of Cerro Blanco mine

2021 Protest against renewed mining company activity at Cerro Blanco

2021 El Salvador’s Catholic Church leaders highlight threat of Cerro Blanco mine to nation’s water supply

Reports / Informes:

2009 Mining Conflicts and Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala

2010 Analysis of the Environmental Impact Study for the Cerro Blanco Mining Project, Asunción Mita, Jutiapa, Guatemala (Spanish)

2010 Response by Goldcorp re fears of water pollution by Cerro Blanco mine

2010 Environmental Defenders in Danger: The Situation in Mexico and Central America in the Conext of the Mining Industry (Spanish)

2012 Proposed Mining Project, Cerro Blanco - Preliminary Comments on the Environmental Impact Study (Spanish)

2013 Analysis of the Information on the Watershed Ostúa-Güija, with an emphasis on the Quality of Surface and Subterranean Waters and the Impact of the Cerro Blanco Mining Project (Spanish)

2013 The Myths and Reality of Gold Mining in Central America

2013 Special Report on the Mining Project "Cerro Blanco" and Possible Human Rights Violations against the Public of El Salvador (Spanish)

2014 Mining in Guatemala: Realities and Challenges faced by Democracy and Development (Spanish)

2014 Transnational Mining in Central America: Regional Focus and Transborder Impact. The Case of the Cerro Blanco Mine (Spanish)

2014 The Impact of Canadian Mining in Latin America and Canada's Responsibility: Executive Summary of the Report Submitted to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

2014 Guatemala - Mining in Guatemala - Rights at Risk

2015 Guatemala - 'Smaller than David': The Struggle of Human Rights Defenders - International Fact Finding Mission Report

2015 Let's Talk about Mining in Guatemala (Spanish)

2016 Metallic Mining in Central America: An Assessment of Impacts, Transparency, and Taxation (Spanish)

2016 Systematization of the Implementation Process of the Right to Consultation of Indigenous Peoples established by the International Labour Organization Convention No. 169 in Guatemala (Spanish)

2016 Environmental and human security in relation to the metallic mining industry in watersheds of the Cuilco, Motagua, Los Esclavos and Ostua-Guija rivers in Guatemala (Spanish)

2017 Mining Exploitation, Cerro Blanco, Jutiapa (Spanish)

2017 The Human Rights Situation in Guatemala (Spanish)

2019 Bluestone Resources Feasibility Study, NI 43-101 Technical Report Cerro Blanco Project Guatemala

2019 The impact of the Cerro Blanco transborder mine on Water and Heath in El Salvador (Spanish)

2021 Bluestone Resources Technical Report on Cerro Blaco

References / Referencias:

Bluestone Resources Inc., “Bluestone Resources to Acquire Cerro Blanco Project from Goldcorp Inc.”, 11 January 2017, online: http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/bluestone-resources-to-acquire-cerro-blanco-gold-project-from-goldcorp-inc-tsx-venture-bsr-2187913.htm, accessed 17 July 2018.

Bluestone Resources Inc., “Bluestone Resources Commences Feasibility Study on Cerro Blanco Project in Guatemala”, dated 18 September 2017, online: https://www.juniorminingnetwork.com/junior-miner-news/press-releases/1305-tsx-venture/bsr/36326-bluestone-resources-commences-feasibility-study-on-cerro-blanco-project-in-guatemala.htm, accessed 17 July 2018.

Bluestone Resources Inc. and JDS Energy and Mining Inc., “Feasibility Study, NI 43-101 Technical Report Cerro Blanco Project Guatemala”, dated 14 January 2019, online: https://bluestoneresources.ca/cerro-blanco-project/feasibility-study-report/, accessed 8 October 2020.

Carbonell, M. H., “Cerro Blanco: Guatemala, on the border with El Salvador and Honduras EJOLT Factsheet”, No. 005, p. 3, dated 2014, online: http://www.ejolt.org/2015/01/gold-silver-mining-cerro-blanco-guatemala-el-salvador-honduras/, accessed 13 August 2020.

Centre of Independent Media, “La mina Cerro Blanco: Un proyecto fallido y desastroso”, dated 14 December 2014, online: https://cmiguate.org/la-mina-cerro-blanco-un-proyecto-fallido-y-desastroso/, accessed 13 August 2020.

Centre of Independent Media, “Temor ante adquisición de fallido proyecto minero Cerro Blanco”, dated 4 June 2017, online: https://cmiguate.org/temor-ante-adquisicion-de-fallido-proyecto-minero-cerro-blanco/, accessed 13 August 2020.

Herbert Ardon, “Explotación minera en el Departamento de Jutiapa ‘Mina Cerro Blanco'”, dated 4 August 2017, online: https://www.slideshare.net/MarySalvador0030/explotacion-minera-cerro-blanco-jutiapa, accessed 17 July 2018.

JDS Energy and Mining Inc., “Preliminary Economic Assessment Technical Report for the Cerro Blanco Project, Guatemala”, dated 2 June 2017, online: https://www.miningdataonline.com/reports/CerroBlanco_PEA_03202017.pdf, accessed 13 August 2020.

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