The Kamgold gold mining company was convicted of serious environmental violations during the development of the Aginsky deposit in Kamchatka. According to the decision of the Arbitration Court, the company is obliged to pay more than 670 thousand rubles in compensation for the damage caused to the Aga River. The lawsuit against the subsurface user was filed by the Far Eastern Department of Rosprirodnadzor.
The basis for the trial was the results of an audit conducted in 2023. During the joint activities of the Office of the Federal Security Service for the Kamchatka Territory and Rosprirodnadzor, it was established that Kamgold discharged wastewater into the river with gross violations. The analysis of water samples showed that the permissible concentrations of pollutants were exceeded by nine indicators at once. Among the chemicals found in the river were particularly dangerous petroleum products and phosphates. In addition, it turned out that the sewage treatment plants at the enterprise were not actually functioning, which led to the unauthorized discharge of contaminated wastewater.
Attempts to resolve the conflict in a pre-trial manner were unsuccessful, and the environmental protection agency was forced to go to court. The Arbitration Court of the Kamchatka Territory fully supported the plaintiff’s claims, recognizing the company’s guilt in causing environmental damage. However, the management of Kamgold did not agree with the verdict and filed an appeal with the Fifth Arbitration Court of Appeal, which means that the litigation will continue.
It is noteworthy that back in 2020, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Kamchatka Territory officially granted Kamgold the right to use the Aga River. The permit was issued for a specific purpose – to discharge wastewater, but subject to the mandatory condition of its pre-treatment. Thus, the company not only violated environmental legislation, but also ignored the conditions of the permit issued to it.