Atalaya Mining Regulatory News (ATYM)

19 Jun 2009 09:00



AIM: EMED 19 June 2009

Laboratory facilities at Minas de Río Tinto in Andalucia presented to ALS Laboratory Group

EMED Mining Public Limited (the "Company"), the AIM quoted mining exploration and development company,  advises that, the Company has handed over its existing laboratory facilities at Minas de Río  Tinto  in  Andalucia  to ALS Laboratory Group.

ALS plans to refurbish and expand those existing laboratory facilities which are positioned next to the Rio Tinto Mine. The laboratory is currently owned by EMED Tartessus, title holder of the industrial complex. ALS plans to develop the facilities to accredited ISO 17025 level by working with ENAC, the Spanish national accreditation body. This process has already started and will be completed in the near future.

The ALS Laboratory Group, through its Minerals Division, yesterday presented its plans to establish a new Mine Environmental Control Laboratory in the Iberian Pyrite Belt. Australian Ambassador to Spain - Mr. Noel Campbell, local authorities and EMED Mining management were present and ALS explained its plans to provide services to the growing mining industry in the area as well as other international clients. 

EMED Mining and ALS Laboratory Group have a long standing relationship with ALS providing EMED Mining with both environmental and mineral exploration analytical services in several other countries in Europe. EMED Mining played a significant role in ALS's decision to come to Rio Tinto. ALS initially intended to establish a laboratory in Lisbon, Portugal. However, EMED Mining offered its existing laboratory facilities to ALS plus the possibility of working together in the future when Proyecto Río Tinto is approved. These elements proved to be decisive in ALS's decision to locate in Andalucia. 

Harry Anagnostaras-Adams EMED Mining Managing Director said at the laboratory handover - 

"EMED Mining is a group that is growing rapidly by focusing on 2 very strong product lines, gold and copper, on strong people and on strong relationships.

"As a company we are only 4 years old but as industry participants we have relationships that go back 20 years or more. Some of those relationships are in Australia where ALS is based. And I am very pleased that we managed to convince ALS to come to Rio Tinto to improve and expand the laboratory.

"We are here to restart Rio Tinto Mine as a 21st century operation and part of our corporate social responsibility is to facilitate the creation of sustainable enterprises that continue even when mining next stops here after 20 years or more." 

For further details please refer to the Company's website - http://www.emed-mining.com/

Enquiries

Notes to Editors: About EMED Mining Public Limited

EMED Mining was admitted to trading on AIM in May 2005. The Company is based in Cyprus and has a strong commitment to responsible development of metal production operations in Europe, with an initial focus on copper and gold. 

The Group's region of interest are the tectonic belts spanning across Europe and over to the Middle East. The strategy is to evaluate exploration and development opportunities in several jurisdictions throughout this quality mineral belt and to promote sustainable development practices through the implementation of European Union and other leading-edge international standards. The Company strictly implements its Environmental & Community Policies which includes:

Integrating environmental management into our business, planning and reporting processes.

Promoting a strong environmental ethic throughout the Company and the community.

Complying with, as a minimum, all applicable local and European Union laws and regulations.

Communicating with community stakeholders in a responsible and transparent manner.

EMED Mining has now established a strong position in the following selected zones:

Exploration areas in Slovakia are centred on a cluster of volcanic centres. Low-detection geochemical methods are being applied to these areas for the first time together with open-pit bulk mining concepts. The principal targeted mineralisation style is low-grade, bulk-mineable porphyry gold. The Company has announced a significant gold discovery at Biely Vrch and the identification of many targets with apparently similar geological characteristics, in its wholly-owned exploration licenses in Central Slovakia. 

The mines in Cyprus and at Rio Tinto in Spain are located in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, which is probably among the best known in the world for its mineral endowment. EMED Mining's goal is to restart copper production at its projects in both of these well-endowed, historical mining districts. Both Spain and Cyprus are progressive members of the European Union and EMED Mining has been made to feel welcome in both host countries. The styles of mineral deposits and production techniques are similar in both mining districts. 

Exploration areas in Turkey were vended into 32%-owned KEFI Minerals Plc which was admitted to AIM in December 2006. KEFI Minerals owns carefully selected licence areas in Turkey, as well as an extensive proprietary database of regional and specific exploration data providing a pipeline of further projects to evaluate. It recently announced a joint venture at the Artvin Project with Centerra Gold Inc of Canada. See www.kefi-minerals.com. 

For further information on the Company's activities, visit www.emed-mining.com or www.emed.tv.

About ALS Laboratory Group

ALS Laboratory Group is a diversified international laboratory group that provides a broad range of sophisticated, state-of-the-art services in the fields of mineral exploration, mining, environmental monitoring and other fields. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Campbell Brothers Ltd., a publicly listed Australian company (ASX code: CPB). It is present in over 130 locations in 40 countries and employs more than 4.700 people). With the suggestion and support of EMED Mining, ALS opened a mineral exploration laboratory in Sevilla in June of last year, which now provides services to exploration companies operating in Western Europe and North West Africa.