The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had issued two warnings to China Union since June 2024. Credit: Red ivory/Shutterstock.

Liberia’s EPA has enforced the closure of China Union’s Bong Mines operations due to multiple environmental regulation breaches, reported Reuters.

The shutdown was announced following the company’s failure to address the violations flagged by the regulator in June this year.

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Located approximately 150km north-east of Monrovia, Bong Mines was taken over by China Union in 2008 with an investment of $2.6bn (HK$21.83bn).

The mine, which made its first iron ore shipment in 2014, has been operating without an effluent discharge licence, constructing a processing plant without the necessary permit and discharging tailings into a wetland area.

The EPA was cited by the news agency as saying that it had issued two warnings to China Union since June 2024 and imposed fines, which the company did not respond to.

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In a statement, EPA said: “China Union blatantly ignored the EPA warnings and continued to operate without any environmental permits, continuing its environmental degradation and pollution.”

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The regulator said the suspension of operations at the Bong Mines will remain in effect “until full compliance is achieved and the identified environmental concerns are duly addressed”.

Earlier this year, ANI reported that Vedanta Group, through its arm Western Cluster (WCL), had announced an investment of $2bn (Rs167.69bn) in Liberia’s mining assets.

In a press statement, Vedanta said: “We are on course for an investment of up to US$ 2 billion in WCL and aim to act as a catalyst to unlock Liberia’s economic potential and empower local communities through expansion of operation, thereby, generating numerous employment opportunities.”