Extractive Industries

The Ministry of Mines and Energy announced that it has granted licenses to four different mining companies to explore for potential mineral resources in Kratie, Kampong Thom, Mondulkiri and Kampot. ...

Angry residents in Kratie town’s Krakor commune yesterday protested against a sand-mining company they accuse of damaging a local road. The protesters used their vehicles to block the company’s trucks from driving on the road. ...

The Ministry of Mines and Energy has issued licences to four mining companies to extract minerals and precious metals in four provinces, according to a statement issued by the ministry. The four companies – Renaissance Minerals (Cambodia) Ltd., Kiri Resources Co. Ltd., Samnang Angkor Development Co. ...

A number of Japanese companies have their eyes on Cambodia’s energy and gas sector, an opportunity welcomed by the government which has asked for studies to be carried out before any investment can be made. ...

Activists say a new sand-processing facility is under construction in Koh Kong’s Tatai Wildlife Sanctuary, in the vicinity of the area where two companies were granted permission to conduct environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for sand-dredging projects, documents show, despite a standing government ban on sand ...

About 30 villagers escorted two environmental activists from Kandal province’s Sa’ang district to the relative safety of Phnom Penh yesterday after the pair were allegedly harassed by local police for helping coordinate a protest against sand dredging in the area the day before. ...

An environmental activist branded an “anarchist” by a government spokesman said he fled to the U.N. human rights office in Phnom Penh on Monday after police harassed him for becoming involved in a dispute between sand dredgers and villagers in Kandal province. ...

The Ministry of Mines and Energy’s mineral exploration licensing process is vulnerable to corruption, an independent study has found, identifying 14 potential openings for graft. ...

One of four new mining exploration permits, advertised publicly this week, is within the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary map, coordinates reveal, sparking concern among activists and community members about the strength of the forest’s recently-acquired protected status.In the first public tender of fresh exploration licenses ...

A second ship accused by the NGO Mother Nature of illegally exporting dredged ocean sand last week is expected to arrive at a port in China today with a cargo of silica sand, which is exempt from the ban, the ship’s owner said yesterday. ...

The Mines and Energy Ministry on Friday defended sand exports reported last week by an environmental NGO, saying Cambodia’s sand ban did not include the type seen in a video being loaded onto vessels off the coast of Sihanoukville. ...

The Ministry of Mines and Energy has publicly announced that companies can bid for four mining exploration permits in both Kratie and Kampot provinces, marking the first time since the ministry was formed in 2013 to issue fresh licences for private companies to investigate mineral ...

After years of delays and setbacks, the Cambodian firm set to operate the Kingdom’s landmark oil refinery finally broke ground yesterday on a $1.62 billion project with an updated completion date set for the middle of 2019. ...

Construction of phase one of a landmark $3 billion oil refining plant kicks off today in Sihanoukville province, after many delays since the company announced plans in December 2012. ...

The Australian-listed mining firm behind Cambodia’s Okvau gold project in Mondulkiri province released its definitive feasibility study (DFS) yesterday, confirming its predictions of 1.14 million ounces in gold reserves while reducing its projected investment costs for extraction. ...

Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom is considering gas production on the continental shelf of Thailand and Cambodia, Russian media reported on Friday. ...

Singapore listed oil and gas firm KrisEnergy says it is ready to sign an agreement with the Cambodian government after completing details of a revised sharing contract for the Block A oilfield. ...

Executives at Singapore-listed energy firm KrisEnergy Ltd say they have settled terms with the Cambodian government and are ready to sign a long-awaited production-sharing agreement that would pave the way for the first-ever extraction of petroleum from Cambodian territorial waters. ...

Australian mining firm Emerald Resources is on track to complete its definitive feasibility study for its Okvau gold project in Mondulkiri province by the end of this month, the company reported in a filing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). ...

Canadian mining firm Angkor Gold has received approval from the Ministry of Mines and Energy to extend its exploration licences for five tenements for an additional three years with the option of extending another four years after, the company said in a press release. ...

Cambodian mining firm Angkor Gold has agreed to accept payment by instalment on Mesco Gold’s final tranche for the purchase of its Phum Syarung gold mine in northeastern Cambodia, the company said in press release. ...

Singapore-listed KrisEnergy Ltd is considering selling or farming out a stake in its Cambodia Block A offshore oilfield to ease its debt burden, according to the company’s 2016 year-end report. ...

Illegal miners in the remote reaches of Cambodia are repelling government inspectors with armed middlemen, the Mines and Energy Ministry said on Wednesday as it hosted its annual meeting in Phnom Penh.   ...

Sand exports will remain suspended amid questions about a 56 million-ton discrepancy in deliveries to Singapore. Dith Tina, a secretary of state and spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Energy, said yesterday that no date had been set for the exports to resume. ...