Mining threat grows over Fermanagh

THE FERMANAGH public is being urged to have its say on the prospect of mining in our countryside, with the government considering granting yet more prospecting licences to an outside company to explore the county.
Having first been attracted by tales of diamonds found in the Colebrooke River, Irish mining company Karelian Diamond Resources PLC has been scoping out Fermanagh for several years.
Focusing on the wider Coonian and Brookeborough area, in October 2022 Karelian was granted a further two licences, adding to the one it had already held, and expanded its area of exploration out into the wider Tempo area too.
While the company did not find any actual diamonds, what it did find was a particularly high concentration of nickel, copper and platinum, metals particularly valuable in the modern age.
Indeed, the company previously said it appears there may be as high a concentration of the metals here in the county as at Norilsk in Russia, which is home to one of the largest nickel mines in the world. The mine is known to be one of Russia’s largest industrial polluters.
In July last year, Karelian began raising investment funds for its work in Fermanagh, after announcing its latest tests had confirmed the significantly high concentration of precious metals in the local countryside.
The Department for the Economy (DfE) has now opened a consultation on the granting of another two mineral prospecting licences (MPLs) to Karelian, one covering a vast swathe of east Fermanagh and the other covering the neighbouring Clogher area of Tyrone.
The Department said the purpose of the consultation was to give stakeholders and the general public the chance to submit their comments.
“This will help ensure that the Department receives a wide range of views, and can make an informed decision on the granting, or not, of the MPL and/or on any additional terms and conditions that should be included in the licence,” its consultation document states.
In a document outlining the environmental impact, it is noted part of the area covered by the licences is dominated by the Slieve Beagh-Mullaghfad-Lisnaskea Special Protection Area, while another is dominated by the Colebrooke River drainage network.
It notes there are also a number of areas of special scientific interest (ASSI) within the scope of the licences.
The impact assessment found activities associated with prospecting alone will not be invasive, and should not impact these sites.
The public consultation is open until April 4 and can be found at www.economy-ni.gov.uk/consultations