The Iduapriem Gold Mine ( French : Mine d'or d'Iduapriem ) is an open-pit gold mine situated 10 km south of Tarkwa , in the Western Region of Ghana . The mine is owned by AngloGold Ashanti and consists of the Iduapriem and the Teberebie operation, which were merged in 2000. AngloGold Ashanti originally only owned 85% of the mine but acquired the remaining 15% in September 2007.
7-536: In 2008, AngloGold Ashanti's Ghana operations, consisting of Iduapriem and the Obuasi Gold Mine , contributed 11% to the company's annual production. Both mines became part of AngloGold Ashanti when AngloGold merged with the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation in 2004. In 2009, the mine employed 1,447 people. The mine has been fatality-free since 1999. The mine and its owners have been criticised in
14-508: The Government of Ghana holding the remainder. Combined, this accumulated to an 85% share for AngloGold Ashanti in the whole operation. In September 2007, the company acquired the remaining 15% as well. Production figures of the recent past were: Obuasi Gold Mine The Obuasi Gold Mine is an underground gold mine situated near Obuasi , in the Ashanti Region of Ghana . It
21-579: The Iduapriem Gold Mine , contributed 11% to the company's annual production. At its temporary closure in 2014 Obuasi had past gold production plus current resource of 62 million troy ounces . There is a long history of mining in the area, with mining from the Ashanti region providing the gold for which the Gold Coast got its name. Large scale commercial and industrial mining began at Obuasi in 1897 with
28-549: The current tailings storage facility". Majority-owned by the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation from 2000 onwards, ownership of this 85% share of the operation was transferred to AngloGold Ashanti with the merger of Ashanti and AngloGold in 2004. The new company owned an 80% share of Iduapriem, with the remaining 20% held by the International Finance Corporation , and a 90% share of Teberebie, with
35-418: The formation of Ashanti Goldfields Corporation . In 2004, Ashanti Goldfields merged with AngloGold to form AngloGold Ashanti. Following significant losses, mining activities were halted in late 2014, with over 5,000 employees laid off and the mine placed in care and maintenance. During this time a large security force remained on site due to heavy pressure from local illegal miners. In 2016 an Obuasi employee
42-531: The past for the loss of land for local farmers, the pollution and drying-up of local rivers and watersources and the lack of action to combat these issues. Mining at Iduapriem was suspended for a time in early 2010 to allow for the construction of a temporary tailings storage facility at the mine. The operators were told by the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana to suspend operations over "potentially adverse environmental impacts arising from
49-534: Was at one time one of the world's ten largest gold mines . The mine is in Obuasi Municipal District , 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of the regional capital Kumasi . The obuasi gold mine began in 1897 which was originally known as the Obuasi mine , then later it was renamed AngloGold Ashanti Ghana Limited in 2004. In 2008, AngloGold Ashanti 's Ashantiland operations, consisting of Obuasi and
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