Multi-national miner

Press, 5 June 1982, Page 14

Multi-national miner

Wellington reporter A multi-national mining company, Conzinc Riotinto of Australia, has applied for a prospecting licence on land that will be flooded if the planned Luggate dam on the Clutha River, upstream of Clyde, ip. built.... > Conzinc; ■ Riotinto has . shown interestin gold prospecting. Its latest application links with other, licences applied for,and (issued, including one..which ’it is working with Bronze" Boulder. Mining and Development, to form a , IOOm-wide strip of the Clutha River and banks, from Alexandra to Albert Town.

Conzinc Riotinto plans to work the tailings left from the 19405. ' -

Bronze Boulder’s prospecting licence was granted in late. 1981. Recently, another was granted for an area upstream of the Clyde Dam site to Cromwell. A further., licence stretches from near the Clyde 'dam. site downstream to Alexandra; '

If the. Luggate dam goes, ahead,'Conzinc Riotinto may be spared : the expense ol restoration. Special ’ .cotidi-. tions might.be written into the licence.

. Conservationists are alarmed at the prospect that

a licence, with "easy” terms. v might be issued to Conzinc Riotinto and then the Lug- - gate dam scrapped, leaving a mess which the company would not be responsible for. They point to the High Court" decision sending the Clyde high dam water rights back . to the Planning Triburipl, arid the withdrawal of A'lusuisse from the proposed second aluminium - smelter fat Aramoana Point; ■ $ If 'there, was no absolute guarantee that the Luggate. dam wbuld be built, a licence '• ought not to be issued on the assumption that the land .. would be flooded, said con- ’ servatidnists.