UPDATE 1-Anatolia says gets permit for Turkey gold project

(Adds details, company comments, stock price)

By Susan Taylor

OTTAWA, April 16 (Reuters) - Anatolia Minerals Development Ltd (ANO.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday that the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry has granted it an environmental permit for its Copler gold project, sending its shares higher.

The small Canadian mining company said it expects the certificate to be formally issued in about 30 days. It allows the company to enter final negotiations to secure forest land leases from the ministry and proceed with other associated permits.

"This is a major milestone," said Chief Executive Edward Dowling in a statement. "We are now looking toward clearing the final few steps and then moving forward with construction."

Once it obtains the leases and completes optimization studies, Anatolia said it will announce a construction schedule for the project, which is seen taking about 18 months to complete.

Anatolia said it is currently working on pre-construction activity, with engineering and procurement services about 80 percent complete. Key long lead-time items are on schedule, with the first pieces of primary processing equipment already shipped.

In the first phase of development, Anatolia expects to produce 1.8 million ounces of gold and 2.2 million ounces of silver as it mines the open-pit portion of the deposit over 10 years.

In February, Anatolia said development costs were estimated a $201 million to $226 million, 60 percent to 80 percent above its original forecast due to higher materials costs and project expansion.