Petaquilla

Petaquilla Gold, S.A. Audited for ICMI Certification

Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. (TSX:PTQ)(OTCBB:PTQMF)(FRANKFURT:P7Z)(the “Company”) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Petaquilla Gold, S.A., a signatory of the International Cyanide Management Code (the “Code”), has been audited by a lead auditor and a technical expert as part of the final process to become certified by the International Cyanide Management Institute (“ICMI”).

Companies that are signatories to the Code must have their operations audited by an independent third party to demonstrate their compliance with the Code. In this regard, Petaquilla Gold, S.A., once certified by the ICMI, will join only 14 other gold mining companies worldwide possessing this certification.

Within the next two months the technical expert will conclude a final review of the Company’s Molejon Gold Project to confirm compliance with minor recommendations prior to submitting the final report to ICMI for issuance of the official certification.

The ICMI was established to administer the Code, to promote the Code’s adoption and implementation, to evaluate its implementation, to manage the certification process and to make information on safe cyanide management practices widely available.

The Code is a voluntary industry program covering the manufacture, transport and use of cyanide in the gold mining industry. The Company supports the promotion of responsible management of cyanide used in gold mining for the purpose of enhancing the protection of human health and reducing the potential of environmental impacts.

About Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. Petaquilla is a growing, diversified gold producer committed to maximizing shareholder value through a strategy of efficient production, targeted exploration and select acquisitions. The Company operates a surface gold processing plant at its Molejon Gold Project, located in the south central area of its 100% owned 842 square kilometre concession lands in Panama – a region known historically for gold content. In addition, the Company has acquired 100% of the Lomero-Poyatos project located in the northeast part of the Spanish/Portuguese (Iberian) Pyrite Belt and several other exploration licenses in Iberia.

Petaquilla -Spanish companies interested in tourism in Panama

Petaquilla - Castilla del Oro Foundation

Public companies from Extremadura in Spain devoted to promoting tourism will visit Panama this month to meet the authorities of Colon Province with the aim of reaching an agreement to renew activities designed to promote San Lorenzo Fort as an international tourist attraction.

These agreements are made with the support of the Castilla del Oro Foundation which, seeking to reactivate tourism in certain areas, established its second operational centre in the Los Santos Province. As part of the initiatives, a launch was acquired to transport tourists in the Pacific sector of the Los Santos and Veraguas Provinces.

As a first stage in promoting tourism during the month of July, Castilla del Oro Foundation has also acquired two buses for transporting tourists from the beachside hotels to the historical monuments of Coclé, Los Santos and Veraguas.

Another project Castilla del Oro Foundation is to undertake is the remodelling of the Casa del Pueblo de Ocú and in the near future funds will be donated for renovating the San Francisco de la Montaña church tower in Veraguas.

http://www.diaadia.com.pa/edicion/actual/etcetera-interna.php?story_id=4714&edition_id=20110711

Petaquilla helps the small farmer

Petaquilla Foundation began this February 3, 2011 offering grants to small farmers in the communities near the mining projection.  Among the major programs that the Foundation is offering is the Fattening of the Bird.  In the Molejon community the foundation delivered 100 baby chicks to the wife of Isaac Ortega as well the food necessary for their growth.

Mining finances future government works

CARLOS CORDERO ANEL
ccordero@laestrella.com.pa

PANAMÁ.
Given the lack of resources, the Government commitment to mining as a source for funds for an ‘ambitious’ investment plan includes a series of mega-projects and other works set in the Investment Plan for the next four years.
The government ‘needs to raise more’, said the President of the Republic, Ricardo Martinelli.
Resources are needed for use in the execution of works, purchase of medicines, building hospitals and providing better services to the population.
While mining in the country continues to generate a potential rejection by the people, the government continues to show that they will not back down and is expected to approve next week the amendments to the Mining Code governing the activity.
Since last May, Minister of Economy and Finance (MEF), Alberto Vallarino, stated that the revenue gained from the new mining concessions would be funds for financing the works described.
Vallarino said that only Petaquilla Mine itself would provide $ 5.000 million in thirty years.
The government has raised taxes on taxpayers, the Fiscal Responsibility Prosecutor will not allow the State to continue borrowing said economist Adolfo Quintero.
Another alternative for obtaining government funding would be the sale of actions of semi-privatized institutions.
For 2011, the budget includes investments of $ 5.409 million add to that more than $ 200 million for damages caused during last year’s floods.
Quintero said these emerging factors are not covered by the budget, making it necessary to search for new sources of income.
The Plan of Government of the Alliance for Change, developed in the campaign, Martinelli
promised once in power, he would ‘update’ and review the mineral potential of Panama.

(this is an excert of the original article)

Petaquilla – Holding Back The Waters

Petaquilla Gold admits using chemical substances for its processes but also pointed out that there is no danger of a spill.

The spokesman for Petaquilla, Carlos Salazar, stated that the amount of sodium cyanide used is minimum and it is recylced because it is very costly. He considers that the environmentalists that warned of a possible spill are “alarmists” since he assures us that there is a production system in place that avoids any time of damage to the hydraulic sources.
Salazar stated that none of the leaching tubs store cyanide, and that due to the constant rain production had slowed down but were able to get maintenance work done.

Panama, Republic of Panama

Molejon, Petaquilla update

Petaquilla estimates the loss of production in the first quarter of fiscal 2011 to have been approximately 31,000 tonnes

During the Petaquilla‘s first quarter of fiscal 2011 production was seriously affected by a combination of a 30-year high level of rain and a lightning strike, which respectively resulted in a Molejon plant shutdown of 8 days in August and the inoperability of one ball mill for 28 days in June with a consequent slowdown in production. Average daily productions for those days prior to the above occurrences were 2,289 tonnes per day for the plant and 448 tonnes per day for the ball mill. Petaquilla estimates the loss of production in the first quarter of fiscal 2011 to have been approximately 31,000 tonnes and would have resulted in production costs per ounce in the mid-US$600 range. Despite the production shortfall, gross margin from the sale of gold in the first quarter of fiscal 2011 amounted to US$4.6 million.

Petaquilla – Article, Gold hit a record high

Petaquilla – Article, A Boon for Gold

The metal turned higher again after consumer thoughts worsened in early September to its weakest in more than a year. Another report indicated little underlying US inflationary pressure. Gold surged to $1,282.75 an ounce in the European market on expectations that the US Federal Reserve, hoping to stave off double-dip recession, could announce more quantitative easing — usually a boon for gold.

Petaquilla – News, Environmentalist challenged

Petaquilla employees drink water from rivers nearby the mine to show that there is no contamination

Carlos Salazar – Petaquilla

Representatives of the Petaquilla Gold mine rejected the arguments of farmers and environmentalists about the pollution of the Coclesito River and to prove it they bathed in the water and even drank water directly from river.
Carlos Salazar, in the presence of the media, bathed in the river with his son and public relations representative Fernando Rodriguez. “Petaquilla is accused of having polluted rivers, mainly Coclesito without scientific evidence, and have alarmed the people to later interview them.” said Salazar.
842 square Km is mine Molejon, 300 thousand cubic meters has the tub. He stated that the mining company is not using seven tons of cyanide and is not destroying the water sources in the region, as stated by the environmentalists.   He explained that in the operational phase they have taken advantage of the high level of rainfall, which increased levels of the tub of tailings, to say that there was spill, which is not true.
They also argued that theoretically the mine consumes 1800 cubic meters of water a day because the tub has a pumping capacity of 45 cubic meters per hour, but as rain fills it, they do not get to use 45 cubic meters, or much less 1800 per day.
Salazar said that Coclesito water can be consumed, although environmentalists accuse Petaquilla of having contaminated the water.
Leak
They say there is no danger to the level of landslide tubs
Location
They are in District Molejon Donoso
Research
Ancon Anam and take samples of water from nearby rivers

History shows that of 100 applications for exploration, two become mines and so Panama at its best will have 6-7 mines, which would have a surface of 3.500 to 4000 hectares, equivalent to 40 square kilometers, said Salazar.

It was a challenge without proof

The environmental Raisa Bainfield said she saw no evidence that Salazar was drinking water from the affected rivers.    “That bathing and drinking water from the rivers has no merit. That was will determine whether there is contamination or not is a committee of national experts that investigates the mine, and I say international because the government is biased in this issue, “said Bainfield, while trying to establish her theory that the mine is detrimental to the community.

Source: RAMOS Torrera Lineth – El Siglo

Petaquilla – News, Gold heads for a Record High

Petaquilla – News, Gold continues higher as equity traders monitor the Dow Jones Industrial average

Aug 26, 2010

Gold prices are closer to an all-time high despite a relatively strong dollar. One ounce of gold currently goes for $1,236 in early evening New York trade. (Aug 25)

Gold closed Tuesday at $1,230.40 after a Monday close of $1,225.90. At one point in early morning New York NYMEX trade Tuesday, gold traded as low as $1,210.

The current market for aggressive gold traders is a record high of $1,261 reached in late June. A break of this level would probably produce a run up toward $1,300, a price most have forecasted to arrive at some point in the remaining months of 2010.

Gold continues higher as equity traders monitor the Dow Jones Industrial average, which is trying to maintain the 10,000 plateau.

The price of gold has been moving steadily higher since finishing a moderate pullback in July of $1155. A call for $1300 an ounce of gold has been on going for some time now.