Mining operations to proceed without court orders
ANKARA
Mining operations will not be stopped without a court order, according to a draft regulation prepared following recent amendments on mining site management.
The draft clarifies that even if a mining area later becomes subject to additional permit requirements after a license is issued, mining activities will continue uninterrupted.
Requests to halt mining without a court ruling will not be accepted.
Companies holding mining operation licenses will face cancellation if they fail to fulfill at least 50 percent of their investment programs for two consecutive years.
Furthermore, license holders must pay an annual state royalty of no less than 50 percent of their license fees.
Mining in forest areas will require prior approval from the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry before licenses can be granted.
Additionally, if cultural heritage is discovered in a mining area, operations must pause until approval is obtained from the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
Strict restrictions apply to mining in protected areas such as special environmental protection zones, national parks, wetlands, wildlife reserves, forests, cultural and tourism development areas, coastal protection zones, military restricted areas, archaeological sites and agricultural lands.
Unauthorized activities in these areas will lead to immediate suspension of mining operations.
To extend mining licenses, at least 30 percent of the production declared in the operation plan must have been completed, except for public institutions and state companies, which are exempt.
The draft also requires thorough monitoring of exploration activities.
Drilling wells must be preserved until inspections are completed, core samples retained, and detailed records — including well names, locations and drilling dates — maintained.
High-resolution photographic documentation of the cores is mandatory.
The Turkish parliament approved the contentious bill aimed at streamlining the permit process for mining activities on designated lands, including olive groves, last month.
However, the law ignited controversy, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition. A central point of dispute concerns a provision that enables the accelerated expropriation of agricultural lands and olive groves for mining operations.
