Tavan Tolgoi Coal Mine Project
Ecotrade completed Environmental and Social Baseline for BHP Billiton, Australia in 2005 and comprehensive detailed EIA for Energy Resources Consortium, Mongolia in 2006. Ministry of Nature and Environment approved EIA and it is legal environmental approval document for TT Coal Mining Project with above mentioned capacity.
Tavan Tolgoi Coal Deposit is one of the large Coal Deposits of the World estimated as 6.5 billion ton coal resources of which 2.0 billion ton high qualified coxing coal. Main feature of this deposits are accumulation of huge coal deposits with coxing in relatively small valley, shallow existence and high quality coxing coal.
Now about 96 % interest of this Gigantic Coal Mine owning Mongolian Government.
Tavan Tolgoi Coal mine locating in the Tsogt Tsetsii Soum, South Gobi Aimag, Mongolia.
Tavan Tolgoi Coal mine locating in the Tsogt Tsetsii Soum, South Gobi Aimag, Mongolia.
Final DEIA report consists 20 sections of which, covers Project Description, Environmental Impact Assessment on each ecosystems components and rehabilitation, environmental protection and monitoring programs. Within DEIA framework covers all exploration licenses areas in TT Coal deposits area and was collected whole environmental parameters of this area. Mining activity will focus on Tsankhi I and Ukhaa Hudag deposits. Proposed mitigation measures were described on each sections relating to the impacts and put together with other regulations in the environmental protection plan (EPP).
Main environmental features and requirements which states in this document as follows and these will be considered for future development of mining and other projects in this area.
Main environmental features and requirements which states in this document as follows and these will be considered for future development of mining and other projects in this area.
- DEIA mainly based on preliminary project document including up to 15 million tones coal mining capacity. And starts Tsankhi #1, Ukhaa Khudag areas. If changed the production numbers and Project Design parameters of the DEIA Project descriptions then it would be review by MNE and may have some amendments to DEIA reports.
- Tavan Tolgoi area is much dry and desert area, and there are no surface water flows. Ground water level mostly located deeper than 40 meters and in the surface drainage areas have shallow aquifers with depth of 3-5 meters. Local peoples using springs and shallow aquifers by dug wells. Such dug wells registered in the TT area more than 10 and 1 spring within the TT exploration area. Water qualities not good, contented high mineralization and hardness, in some areas with coal bearing deposits have high contents of iron and other metals. Deep aquifer waters are unsuitable for drinking use.
- In the TT area distributed 7 types of desert and semi-desert brown and takyre soil types. Average content of humus is 3.4-4.5%, exchangeable phosphorus is 2.8-3.2 mg per 100 g, and potassium is 13-15 mg per 100 g soil. Thickness of soil stratum reaches up to 15 cm. According to the environmental regulation and standards requires that remove top soil up to 20 cm before mining and constructing activity must be rehabilitate after re-cultivation in the removal constructions.
- Tavan Tolgoi area belongs to the Dornogobi semi-desert vegetation cover. Main dominants of the vegetation are Stipa gobica (Монгол өвс), Allium poyrrhizum(Таана), Salsola passerina Bge (Бор бударгана), Reaumuria soongorica (Улаан бударгана), Anabasis brevifolia (Түнтгэр баглуур), Salsola laricifolia (Шар бударгана), Nitraria sibirica (Сибир хармаг), Cleistogenes soongorica (Зүүн гарын хазаар өвс), Allium mongolicum (Хөмүүл), Nanophyton gobica(Төлөгчдүү бор таар), and Eurotia ceratiodes (Орог тэсэг). In some areas have registered Stipa Krilovi (Криллов хялгана) and Artemisa frigida (Aгь). In the TT project area registered during the field survey DEIA, registered 123 plant species which belongs to the 78 types and 29 families. In the further mining areas registered 4 species of rare and endemic plants. During the project design and implementation stage required to relocate these 4 plants (Limonium aureum, Arnebia cutata, Carioptris mongolica, Vencetoxicum sibiricum) to available places for their further growths.
- In the TT coal mining area have registered 42 species of vertebrates of which 18 species of mammals, 16 species of birds and 8 species of reptiles. 50 percent of permanently habitants, 33% of them hibernates in the winter period, 17 % of them are migrant. 3 species of vertebrates are Cardiocranius paradoxus (Тавруу тажигдаахай), Salpingotus kozlovi, Salpingotus crassicauda (Гувруу тажигдаахай), Euchoreutes naso (Соотон алагдаага) registered in Mongolian Red Book and one Aegypius monachus (Хар тас) listed CITIES convention in Appendix #2 for limiting international trading of rare animals and plants. Presently, most of the animals are frightening away.
