Nearly $ 3 billion will be invested in Serbia over the next six years in the opening of the Čukaru Peki mine near Bor and the Jadar mine near Loznica, as well as in RTB Bor,as Assistant Mining and Energy Minister Ivan Jankovic said today.
These are strategic projects for the Government of Serbia, as Jankovic pointed out at the opening of the 9th International Conference on Mineral Resources in Serbia, “The driving force of economic development”, and added that that is why an additional level of investment is planned.
With initial investments of close to $ 500 million for the opening of the Chukaru Peki mine by Rakita (Zijin), then the opening of the Jadar mine for over $ 1 billion by Rio Tinto, as well as anticipated investments of $ 1.26 billion in RTB Bor and Majdanpek mine we are coming close to $ 3 billion that will be invested in the mining sector over the next six years, “said Jankovic, adding that those investments are only on metallic minerals.
He also stated that a large number of mining companies are present in our country because they are actively working on improving the business environment.
Serbia has launched a strong investment cycle in the mining sector, Jankovic said. and added that, for example, by 2010, there were 108 research fields with investments of 24 million euros, and that in 2018 there were 140 research fields in 2018 in central Serbia alone with investments of about 100 million euros.
“With the exploitation of mineral deposits, the level of investment is already significant and from December 2014 to December 2018 a total of one billion euros was invested. When it comes to investments in energy and mineral resources, we have close to four billion dollars of investments, since in the next period we will open the Radljevo surface mine within the Kolubara mining basin “.
Jankovic also said that mining production in 2018 amounted to almost 79 million tonnes of ore, of which 47 percent was coal, 22 percent was metal, 29 percent was non-metallic, and two percent was oil and gas.
He announced that there would be a significant increase in ore production in the coming period, which would increase GDP growth and the mining sector’s share from two to the projected five percent of GDP. As a result, several thousand jobs will be created, with just over 26,000 in the sector.
“The number of jobs increased by seven percent in the third quarter of 2019 compared to 2018,” Jankovic said.
He also said that environmental protection will be one of the priorities, and that during this year and next year, some other regulations needed for the functioning of geology and mining will be made.
“So, modern and sustainable mining, with full respect for the interests of the Republic of Serbia and full security for existing and future investments,” said the Assistant Minister.
