Top official clings to hopes of natural gas, crude

Santo Domingo.- Energy and Mines minister, Antonio Isa Conde says he’s a standard-bearer for mining and hopes that  Dominican Republic has natural gas and oil, for which a tender process for exploration and exploitation has already begun.

He said studies, new legislation and tenders reveal the government’s commitment to take advantage of those resources in Dominican soil and jump-start a sector that was on the decline in recent years.

“The country has 160,041.93 hectares of mining concessions for exploration purposes and another 162,458 in operation. Around 57,000 were granted as of May 2015,” the  official said, quoted by Diario Libre.

Isa said the concessions were issued through 40 exploration contracts for metallic mining and 47 for non-metallic mining, in addition to 49 other non-metallic exploitation contracts and two metal contracts with Comirdom and Falcondo, in addition to the special contracts of the Pueblo Viejo Dominicana Corporation and the Envirogold (Las Lagunas).