EMED Mining has entered 2012 full of optimism regarding the permitting and start up of the Rio Tinto copper mine.

Mr Harry Anagnostaras Adams MD said the company looks forward to restarting this major copper mine and greatly appreciates public declarations of support from the Andalucian government, all political parties, unions and municipal councils.

He said the company was omitted to the timetable that aims to trigger the restart during the third quarter, followed by a ramp up to target steady state production of 9 million tonnes of ore per annum and concentrate containing 82 million pounds of copper in 2014.

He added that "The company's teams are making steady progress on all aspects of permitting, legal, finance and project planning of start-up and expansion.” He added that "In mid-2010 we lodged full submissions covering all operational and environmental aspects of restarting Rio Tinto. Between April and November 2011 there has been a series of requests from the Government. Having submitted our various responses, the substantive issues still on the table relate to waste and tailings management.”

"We feel confident that our plans satisfy all local, European and international standards. Nevertheless EMED has commissioned independent specialist reviews on those aspects because we are committed to providing and demonstrating the best possible solution that balances environmental, economic and operational criteria."

(Sourced from StockMarketWire.com)