More Than 250 Firms Hold Mining Licenses

Almost 200 mining companies currently hold government licenses to mine construction materials such as granite, or to extract minerals, while another 53 firms are licensed to explore for mineral wealth, according to a Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy report released Friday. Among these firms, 47 were newly licensed last year to start mining, while 24 received new licenses this year to search for minerals, the ministry’s annual report said. The total number of firms that are actively mining now stands at 197, the report showed, but the vast majority of these firms quarry construction materials. Another 53 firms have licenses to explore for valuable minerals such as gold, iron ore, coal and bauxite. Only 28 companies have so far registered mineral finds with the ministry, although it was unclear how big these finds were. Large-scale mineral mining has yet to start, but the ministry was hopeful it would begin soon. “[T]he results gained through exploration, research and study has shown there are some potential mining sites for gold, copper, iron and coal, which will be exploited for the first time in Cambodia within the next few years,” it said. The ministry’s report failed to mention the total size of the concession area granted to mining companies. …