Romania Country Report Rosia Montana

8/8/2019 Romania Country Report Rosia Montana

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Country Report ROMANIAOn the Mining Waste Management

May 2003

Authors: Serban Veliciu (Geological Institute of Romania)Petru Stratulat (National Agency for Mineral Resources)

INTRODUCTION

Romania, with 22.4 million people (July 1 st, 2001), is the second most populated country in Central and Eastern Europe. Located in South-eastern Europe,Romania is bordered by Ukraine to the north, Moldova and Ukraine to the northeast,Hungary to the northwest, Yugoslavia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, and the

Black Sea to the east. In 2001, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Romania was$132.5 billion (purchasing power parity) in the year 2001.

During the last twelve years, the country has undergone dramatic changes; theauthorities are looking forward to open more ambitious development goals. Mindfulof the need to effectively exploit the countrys economic potential its strategiclocation and its vital role in the regional and international economies, the authoritieshave been working hard both to achieve NATO entry status as willing as to beconsidered worthy of joining the EU in four years time.

Romania has a free trade agreement with the states of the European Free Trade

Association (EFTA) and an association agreement with the European Union (EU). Itis also a member of the Central European Free Trade Association (CEFTA), theWorld Trade Organization, and the Council of Europe (COE). In 1993, Romania hadits Most Favoured Nation Status with the United States of America restored on a

permanent basis.

As per provisions of the Constitution of Romania Art.135 (4) , the mineral resources from the Romanian soil and subsoil and located on the continental shelf and the economic area of the Black Sea are exclusively public property and belong to the Romanian State . Romania has separate laws on mining (No.85/2003; MiningLaw) and on hydrocarbons (No. 134/1995; Petroleum Law).

The Competent Authority responsible for the application of the provisions of the laws is the National Agency for Mineral Resources (NAMR), ...organized as a

public institution of national interest and acting under Government subordination .Hazardous mining waste are registered with the Ministry of Industry and Resources(MIR- General Directorate for Mining and Geology), as per provisions of the Law

No.426/2001 (Art.6, 16 and 41). Mining waste inventory, for active miningexploitations, exists with the Ministry of Industry and Resources. The State-ownedCompany CONVERSMIN is dealing with conservation, mine closure and post-closure monitoring works, as per Government Decision No.313/2002. Specialregulations for remediation methodology and technology are stipulated in the MiningClosure Manual issued by the Ministry of Industry and Resources (MIR Order

No.273/04.09.20).

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Mining licensing and controlling is performed by the National Agency for Mineral Resources (NAMR). Regional and local controlling is accomplished bycounty inspectors.

Geological Institute of Romania (Geological Survey of Romania) produces allkind of national geological and geophysical maps and, by its own publications, spreadthe geological informations to the public.

As part of economic reform measures passed since 1990, the mining sector was reorganized by establishing two types of state enterprises: Regies Autonomes(RAs) for the production and supply of mining products, and Commercial Companies(CCs) for mining activities and support services. This enabled the government toseparate policy and regulation from operational functions, to bring accountability, andto institute commercial practices in the mining sector. RAs were state holdingcompanies for sectors considered strategic by the Government of Romania includingmetallic and non-metallic minerals, lignite, and coal. CCs are joint stock companiesestablished under the Company Law (Law No.31/1990-Republished). RegiesAutonomes , including these in the mining sector, were reorganized, according to theGovernment Emergency Ordinance No.30/1997, into National Companies which can

be earmarked for privatization). As the present situation, in the mining sector operate 96 companies, grouped according to their activities and the deliverability. So,there are eight National Companies (NCs) comprising 105 mining exploitationsexists, namely

Coal 3 NCs and 1 CCs with 40 mining exploitations;

Metallic minerals 2 NCs with 44 mining exploitations;

Radioactive 1 NC with 4 mining exploitations;

Salt 1 NC with 7 mining exploitations;

Non-Metallic 7 CCs from which 2 private

94 CCs performing extraction and dressing minerals activities, which have

been separated from the original RAs, and 9 CCs are private companies.

Romanias territory occupies a surface of 237,500 km 2 exhibiting a verycomplex geological structure. Two thirds of this surface belongs to Alpine orogenicarea with late Tertiary and Quaternary volcanism.

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Keys : 1-Ilba-Baiut District; 2-BaiaBorsa District; 3-Rodna Mts.; 4-Bistritei Mts.; 5-Balan District;6-Neo-volcanic Gurghiu-Harghita area; 7-East-Fagaras Mts.; 8-Iezer-Papusa-Leaota Mts.;9-Poiana Rusca Mts.; 10-Voislova-Teregova Zone; 11-Laramian metallogenese from South Banat;12-Gabbro-peridotite masiff from South Banat; 13-Western Metalliferous Mts.; 14-Brad-Sacarambmetallogenic district; 15-Zlatna-Sacaramb metallogenic district; 16-Rosia Montana-Bucium-Baia de

Aries metallogenic district; 17-Baisoara-Lita metallogenic area; 18-Brusturi-Halmagiu-Poianametallogenic district; 19-Padurea Craiului Mts.; 20-North Dobrogea; 21-East Carpathians Flysh;22-Diapir folded zone and Getic Depression; 23-Moesian Platform; 24-Pannonian Basin;25-Transylvanian Basin; 26-Comanesti Basin; 27-Baraolt Basin; 28-Dacic Basin (valahian zone)29-Valea Jiului Basin; 30-Sirinia Basin; 31-Resita Basin; 32-Dacic Basin (Oltenia); 33-Pannonian

Basin.

Exploitable geological reserves total 3 billion tones of lignite and brown coal,1 billion tones of mineral coal, 40 millions tones of gold & silver ores, 90 millionstones of poly-metallic ores, 900 millions tones of cooper ores, 1 billion tones of salt.Also, ore deposits of rare and radioactive metals, iron-manganese, bauxite, anddiverse non-metallic ore deposits. Extraction and processing of minerals were knownsince the Roman time and mining is a traditional practice in this region of Europe.

Main characteristics of mineral deposits from Romania are as follows: small tomedium dimensions, low grade, complex geological and mining conditions, anddifficult mechanical and metallurgical processing characteristics.

Mining commodities Location of the ore deposits(local mining name and county)

Mineral fuels Coal Anthracite Schela Vezuroiu (Gorj)Bituminous coal Anina (Caras Severin), Campu lui Neag,

Valea de Brazi, Uricani, Lupeni, Vulcani,Aninoasa, Petrosani, Lonea, Petrila(Hunedoara, Valea Jiului basin).

Brown coal Comanesti, Asau, Leorda, Lapos, Vornesti(Bacau); Mehadia (Caras Severin).

Lignite Pescareasca, Gondeni, Boteni, Cotesti,Aninoasa (Arges); Doicesti, Sotanga,Margineasa (Dambovita); Filipesti de

Padure (Prahova); Rovinari, Motru, Jilt(Gorj); Berbesti-Alunu (Valcea);Husnicioara (Mehadinti); Capeni

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LEGEND

Ferrous & non-ferrous

Coal

Oil & GasStructures

LOCATION OFREPREZENTATIVE

AREASWITH MINERAL

RESOURCESACCUMULATION


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(Harghita); Tebea (Hunedoara); Borod-Borozel, Sarmasag, Chiejd, Bobota (Bihor).

Peat Dreasca-Lozna (Botosani); Poiana Stampei, Neagra Sarului (Suceava).

Sand andschists

Bituminous sands Derna, Tartarus, Suplacu de Barcau (Bihor).Bituminous shale Anina, Doman (Caras Severin).

Metallic ores Ferrous Iron Teliuc, Ghelar (Hunedoara); Ocna de Fier,Ruschita, Dognecea (Caras Severin); Capus(Cluj); Lueta, Vlahita (Harghita).

Manganese Vatra-Dornei, Iacobeni, Argestrutu, Dadu-Carlibaba (Suceava).

Non-ferrous Cooper Deva (hunedoara); Balan (Harghita); LesuUrsului (Suceava); Baia Borsa(Maramures); Rosia Poieni (Aba); Moldova

Noua (Caras Severin); Altan Tepe (Tulcea).Polymetallic (Cu, Pb,Zn)

Muncelu Mic, Boita Hateg (Hunedoara);Baia de Aries (Alba); Ruschita (CarasSeverin); Baia Sprie, Cavnic, Baiut, Ilba,

Nistru, Baia Borsa (Maramures); LesuUrsului (Suceava).

Gold Barza, Certej (Hunedoara); Rosia Montana,Zlatna, Baia de Aries (Alba); Suior, Sasar (Maramures)

Mercury Santimbru (Hunedoara); Izvorul Ampoiului(Alba)

Uranium Stei (Bihor); Ciudanovita (Caras Severin);Tulghes (Hargita).

Molybdenum, bismuth Baita Bihorului (Bihor)

Non-metallicores

Salt (NaCl) Ocnele Mari (Valcea; Slanic (Prahova); Tg.Ocna (Bacau); Ocna Mures, Ocna Dej

(Cluj); Praid (Hargita); Cacica (Suceava).Potash salt Tazlau (Bacau)Barite Somova (Tulcea); Ostra (Suceava).Bauxite Alesd, Padurea Craiului (Bihor).Kaolin Harghita, Aghires (Cluj).Refractory clays Suncuius (Bihor); Anina (Caras Severin).Chalk Basarabi (Constanta).Disten Negovanu (Sibiu).Calcite Cazanesti (Hunedoara).Bentonite Tufari (Mehedinti); Valea Chiorului,

Razoare (Maramures); Gurasada(Hunedoara).

Feldspar Muntele Rece (Cluj); Armenis, Teregova(Caras Severin).Muscovite Brezoi (Valcea); Bautari (Caras Severin).Talc Lelese, Cerisor-Zlasti (Hunedoara); Marga

(Caras Severin).Sulphur Negoiul Romanesc, Calimani (Suceava)

COAL MINING

The activities of capitalisation of energetic resources as coal throughextraction in mines or open pits represent some of the main fields that lead to thedegradation of the environment. Mostly, the large surfaces for access routes, buildingsites, waste storage areas resulted from uncover process or processing plants areaffected adversely by pollution. Technologies adopted for coal exploitation and

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processing by micro-open pits developed on coal strata outcrops, seriously affectedthe whole air-water-soil eco-system by a variety of mineral, chemical and acoustic

pollutants. However, it must be observed that these pollution sources related to coalmining have a low degree of toxicity and they do not represent a major risk factor for

population in the surroundings.

Coal Production in Romania, 1989 2000 *)(in millions metric tons)

Indicator 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000Total netcoal

61.5 37.6 32.4 38.4 39.7 40.5 41.1 41.8 33.3 26.2 25.0 26.6

Lignite and brown coal

53.2 33.7 28.6 34.3 35.5 35.7 36.2 36.5 29.0 23.0 21.0 23.5

Net hard coal 8.3 3.9 3.8 4.1 4.2 4.8 4.9 5.3 4.3 3.2 4.0 3.1* Energetical 5.1 2.6 2.9 3.1 3.7 4.4 4.5 5.0 4.0 3.0 3.7 2.9* Cokable 3.2 1.3 0.9 1.0 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2

Note: components may not add to total due to rounding

Among the pollution sources of industrial dust and gases have to bementioned: gas emission emerging from the coal mines ventilation systems;atmospheric pollutants from electric and thermal power stations and dressing plants;spreading of the dust from waste dumps and dust resulted from coal transportation.

Measurements performed at 13 coal mines detected six types of gas in the air outgoing from the ventilation systems: CH 4 (330 to 4000 mg/m 3), CO (0.4 to 7.5

ppm), SO 2 (0.1-2.9 ppm), NO 2 (0.1-2.0 ppm), HCl (0.1-2.1 ppm), H 2S (0.1-4.5 ppm).

METAL MINING

Metallic ore deposits are characterised by complicate tectonics, highexploitation depth, thin ore veins, low content of metals, difficult hydrogeologicalconditions.

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Annual Production Capacities (million tons)for Metallic Mining in Romania

13.82.2

3.6

0.8 0.6

Cu Au+Ag poly-me tallic Fe+Mn radioact ive

TOTAL = 21 million tons/year


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Evolution in Romania of extracted metalliferous minerals (million tons of concentrate) for interval 1989-2000

Although Romania has significant reserves of cooper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, bauxite, manganese and iron ore, the country produces only relatively small amountsof non-ferrous metals and small quantities of iron ore. Cooper is mined mostly in twodistricts: the north-west, with mines at Baia Mare, Baia Sprie, Cavnic and Lesul

Ursului, and the south-west, with major mines at Moldova Noua, Rosia Montana andRosia Poieni. The ore grade is generally low, with major producing mines at Moldova Noua and Rosia Poieni. The ore is grading only about 0.35% of Cu or less.Concentrates from these areas are smelted and refined at Baia Mare and Zlatna.

Lead and zinc are produced at underground mines in Baia Mare, Baia Borsa,Certej, and Rodna districts. They are low-grade ores grading 0.4-1.2% of zinc, withassociated cooper (o.35%), antimony, and bismuth, cadmium, gold and silver. Due tocomplex mineralogy of the lead and zinc ores, concentrates produced from them areuneven. Metal recovery in concentrates ranges between 50% and 75% for lead andzinc, respectively. Smelting and refining of lead and zinc from domestic and importedores and concentrates are carried out at Copsa Mica and Baia Mare.

Romanian gold resources are mainly located in Transylvanias GoldenQuadrilateral, a major gold mining region comprising the cities of Baia de Aries,Brad, Sacaramb and Zlatna. Gold production in this region was reported to be about140,000 ouncesin1966. The Rosia Montana opencast and the Brad underground gold

belonging to the joint venture between Gabriel Resources of Canada and State-ownedmining company MINVEST Deva. Feasibility studies on developing the RosiaMontana and reprocessing tailings from both mines have been undertaken. RosiaMontanas output is reportedly from 10,000 to 12,000 ounces per year. Another

potential area fro gold exploration is the Bucium intrusive complex in the MetaliferiMts. Since 1999 gold has been processed from old tailings in the Baia Mare region bythe Australian-Romanian joint venture company Aurul S.A.

The prospecting for uranium in Romania was initiated in the 1950s. Sincethen, some 13 deposits and 9 occurrences were discovered in three major uranium

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38.2

25.1

16.2 17 17.1

21 20.418.8

17.115.1

17.4 18.2

35.3 36

26.7 26.128.1

34.4 35.1

31.329.4

25.7 26.5

29.2

47.5

32

2725.6 25.4 26.2

24.3 24.5 23.6

19.617.2

20.84

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

year

Pb Zn Cu


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provinces: Apuseni Mts., Banat Mts. and Eastern Carpathians. Deposits are of endogenous origin, mainly formed by pitchblende and associated sulphidemineralization. Currently, no uranium is imported or exported from Romania.

Bauxite open cast and underground mines are operated at Dobresti (Oradea).Alumina is produced by the Tulcea and Oradea refineries. The countrys only primary

aluminium smelter is at Slatina, in south-west Romania.Small quantities of iron are mined in Romania. Most feedstocks of ores and

concentrates for the countrys steel industry, however, have to be imported. The privatization process is playing an important role in development and modernisationof the steel industry, attracting foreign investments as well as bids for stock in thesector.

Romania also has an extensive output of industrial minerals. Barite, bentonite,diatomite, feldspar, graphite, gypsum, kaolin, limestone among others, are mined atabout 60 deposits throughout the country. The modernization of Romanias economyand infrastructure has increased the demand for many of these commodities. The

privatisation of mining companies producing industrial minerals is more advancedthan that of other sectors of the mining industry. Major acquisitions include the

purchases of the ROMCIM S.A. and CIMENTUL Turda cement plants by a Frenchcompany and by a Swiss company, respectively.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE MINERAL SECTOR

Romania has a long history of mining, in particular of non-ferrous metals, coaland uranium. Diffuse pollution from areas where mining has been going on for centuries has had a long-term impact on the environment.

The activities of capitalisation of the natural metallic mineral resourcesthrough geological exploration, extraction operations, mining metallurgy etc.represent only some of the main fields that lead to the degradation of the environment.Large surfaces for access routs, building sites, waste storage areas resulted fromuncover process or the processing plants are affected adversely by pollution. Resultsof pollution occur directly or indirectly and may have an immediate or long-termcharacter. Due to underground and surface excavations also the neighbouring areassuffer adverse influences such as changes in the flow of underground waters,modification of geochemical nature of the elements, erosion etc.

The impact of mining activities in Romania, as prospecting, exploration,

mining and concentration of useful mineral substances (dressing minerals), implythe carrying out of different assessments of the environment from the followingstandpoints:

mine wastes; residual waters polluted waters as a result of mining and

processing of ores; physical stability of the areas where underground or surface mining

voids are present as a result of mining activities; Visual impact as degradation of the landscape.

Tailing impact managementRomanias major deposits of non-ferrous metals have cooper, lead and zinc

materialisation in the form of sulphides, together with pyrite and marcasite. Under

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aerobic conditions and in the presence of bacteria, sulphuric acid is formed by theoxidation of sulphides. This process results in the formation of acid mine drainage,which is a major source of chronic environmental pollution in mining areas. Due tothe low pH of these waters (1.5 to 3.0), heavy metals such cooper, zinc, cadmium,arsenic and lead can be leached from the rock and mobilized, causing severe

contamination of water soil and vegetation. Moreover, heavy metals can enter the

food chain. As pyrite oxidation takes place only under aerobic conditions and thereaction is rather slow, acid mine drainage is a mainly long-term problem of abandoned mining sites (waste rock piled and tailing ponds). Currently Romania hasmany non-active tailing ponds and mining waste dumps, which are potential sourcesof heavy metal contamination by acid mine drainage.

In Romania, particularly in the Maramures County, the problem of acid minedrainage is aggravated by the high amounts of pyrite and marcasite in the sulphideore, which are not separated by milling and flotation processes, but deposited with thetailings. Assessments made by the national agencies have shown that the river systemin the Maramures mining region has been highly contaminated with toxic metals for many years. In addition, leakage from pipelines and dam safety problems poseenvironmental and health risks. In the year 2000 two accidents (Baia Mare and BaiaBorsa) due to cyanide and heavy metals spills in the Tisa river. A risk assessmentmade by Apele Romane for NW Romania, pointing out 11 risky tailings deposits, has

been complemented by an inventory conducted by the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River. This inventory covers potential risk spots in theTisa river catchments area, identifying in NW Romania 17 tailing ponds and deposits,3 mining industries and one metallurgical industrial facility.

Abandoned waste dumps are also potential sources of air pollution due to their high content of fine particles, which can be spread by the wind. Unprotected waste

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dumps and tailings ponds contribute to the reported high concentrations of dust andheavy metals in the ambient air of some important mining regions in Romania.

Soil erosion is an other problem related to wind and rain water which canaffect the mechanical stability of the mining waste dumps. These are common

problems that can be minimized or stopped by recultivating old mining tailings, as

one of the environmental management tasks of mining companies. However,recultivation is not yet a common practice in Romania; it is done only sporadicallyand on a small scale with the exception of lignite open-pits of Oltenia coal basinwhere, from a total of 17,000 ha affected area, about 2,000 ha were rehabilitated andreturned for agricultural and forest purposes and the remain land will be restored inthe near future.

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Mining waste watersDue to economic constrains, investments into environmental facilities by

Romanian mining companies have been reduced to a minimum. As a result, manymining waste-water treatment plants are currently operating manually with obsoleteand ineffective technologies. Under the present conditions, huge volumes of wastewater containing heavy metals are discharged into the environment without adequate

treatment, with severe consequences for local ecosystems.

Radioactive wastes from uranium miningThe environmental impacts of uranium exploitation and milling activities

include radioactive liquid effluents, waste rocks from mining and tailings from ore

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Waste dumps exhibiting intense erosionRosia Poeni o en- it


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processing. Another environmental hazard is the storage at mining sites of low-gradeore with uranium content of 0.02-0.05%, which is currently processed. In addition,during the exploitation and processing of radioactive minerals, the risk of contaminating metal waste and the mechanical filters (wood and textile) withradioactivity is high. Many mining dumps and tailings do not have an environmental

management system in place. At present, various mines have storage places thatshould be properly closed to prevent environmental contamination. There is a generalneed to build or enlarge water treatment plants for uranium mining and milling inmining sites located in the Apuseni and Banat Mts. and Eastern Carpathians.

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES

Romanias present authorities became seriously involved in the reform andrationalization of the countrys mining sector. A new Mining Law (no. 85/2003) was

passed, establishing modern rules for management of mineral resources. TheGovernment also decided to close unprofitable operations, including State-ownedenterprises such as coal mining companies, and planned to cut subsidies to the miningsector. Small and medium-sized State-owned enterprises, before the privatization,should be restructured. Romania has identified the principal areas in need of urgentaction in the industrial sector, which includes the mining industry:

renewal of existing production units to respond to energy, mineral rawmaterial and environmental constrains;

adoption of non-polluting production processes and technologies atnational level;

support of existing industries through the introduction of emission-reducing equipment and technologies;

establishment of a national integrated monitoring system for environmental quality; environmental training at all levels.

Most of the above considerations were incorporated in the NationalEnvironmental Protection Strategy and National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP).The NEAP was based on the premise that much of the environmental degradation inRomania was the result of inappropriate economic and related policies. It wasassumed that market liberalization, privatization and other reforms would penalize theexcessive use of energy and other resources, reducing the environmental damage.These gains would be reinforced by the effects of market-driven industrialrestructuring, which would shift production from inefficient plants towards moreefficient and less polluting ones. Priority areas were the reducing of emissions of leadand other heavy metals from mineral industry and the minimization of water contamination by heavy metals and other toxic substances.

REFERRENCES (selected):

Baican, G. (2000) Trends in restructuring of coal industry in central and eastern-European countries. Sinaia (Romania).

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Dinca, G (1995) Strategia protectiei mediului in domeniul mineritului metalelorrare si radioactive. Rev. Minelor no. 6, Bucharest (in Romanian)

Florea, M. (1996) Stabilitatea iazurilor de decantare. Ed. Tehnica, Bucharest (inRomanian).

Fodor, D., Georgescu, M., Mironovici, R. (1992) Preocupation et realisationconcernant la reduction des effets negatifs de lindustrie miniere de Roumaniesur le milieu environment. XV Congres Minier Mondial, Madrid.

Fodor, D., Baican, G. (1999) Coal Mining in Romania at the Beginning of the 21-st Century. Rev. Minelor, no. 10-11. Bucharest.

Fodor, D., Baican, G. (2001) Impactul industriei miniere asupea mediului. Ed.Infomin, Deva. (in Romanian).

Lazarescu, I. (1983) Protectia mediului inconjurator si industria miniera. Ed.Scrisul Romanesc, Craiova. (in Romanian).

Pocomnicu, I. (2003) Evolutia rezultatelor activitatilor industriei extractive(2002). Rev. Minelor, no. 2. Bucharest. (in Romanian).Stanciu, I. (2000) Strategia industriei miniere din Romania. Rev. Minelor, no. 3.Bucharest. (in Romanian)

*** (1984) Romania Geological Atlas 1/1,000,000. Map of Mineralresources. Explanatory Note. 2-nd edition. Ed. IGG, Bucharest.

*** (1999, 2000, 2001) Statistical Yearbook of Romania.

*** (1991) Constitution of Romania .

*** Mining Law (Law No.85/2003).

*** (1993-2003) NAMR internal reports.

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Romania Country Report Rosia Montana

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