China Union, which invested $2.6 billion in Bong Mines located around 150 km (94 miles) northeast of Monrovia, started iron ore shipments in 2014.
Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shut down Bong Mines due to multiple environmental breaches, including operating without an effluent discharge license, constructing a processing plant without a permit, and discharging tailings into a wetland.
The agency had previously flagged these issues twice since June and imposed fines, which went unanswered by the company.
“China Union blatantly ignored the EPA warnings and continued to operate without any environmental permits, continuing its environmental degradation and pollution,” the EPA stated.
The closure will remain in effect “until full compliance is achieved and the identified environmental concerns are duly addressed.”
China Union was unavailable for comment outside office hours. Liberia’s iron ore sector, rich in resources, has suffered from years of under-investment and was disrupted during the conflict from 1989 to 2003, which halted production at Bong Mines.