The Ministry of Transport and Communications of Republic of North Macedonia has issued a permit to build the Borov Dol mining complex. After obtaining the building permit, the mine will begin construction of the facilities and will start operating in September this year.
Borov Dol will extend the life of the currently operating DOO Bucim to at least 2030. The Borov Dol mine will be beneficial for the local communities in three municipalities: Konche, Shtip and Radovish. These three municipalities will have a share in the exploitation and processing of ore; thereby each municipality will benefit financially on a concession basis.
The new project preserves the jobs of most of the employees currently engaged in Bucim’s operations, and also creates new job opportunities for the residents of the neighboring municipalities. A total of 307 miners are expected to be employed at the new extraction site. The projected life expectancy of the mine is currently estimated at 10 years, with the possibility of further extending the life of the mine.
To minimize the potential environmental impact, the infrastructure development plan uses most of the Bucim’s existing processing and storage facilities, while transporting the extracted ore via a 7 km long covered conveyer belt. To the new ore body, in cooperation with the Macedonian construction company DG Beton AD Skopje, will be built overflow pool from the surface pit, treatment plant, dam and accumulation, administrative building with a canteen and a medical center, a gas station, and road infrastructure will all be built in cooperation with Beton Skopje. The total cost of the Borov Dol project is estimated at €60 million.
“By getting the building permit, we can practically start realizing the construction of the necessary facilities. In this time of economic slowdown, however, we believe we will be able to secure the project’s timing and the Borov Dol mine will start operating as planned in September 2020,” commented Pavel Krivinsky, General Manager of the Borov Dol mine.