Major mining investment in Serbia: $117 million just for the start

The deposit is located 13 kilometers from Bor and two kilometers from the village of Mali Krivelj, situated on the ridge of Kraku Bugaresku hill.

The project represents a continuation of decades-long mining activity in the region (open-pit mining at Cementation 1), eKapija reports.

The request was prepared by the Faculty of Mining and Geology at the University of Belgrade, and the project is based on previous approvals from the Ministry of Mining and Energy from 1991 and 2018.

Production of 3.5 million tons of ore over seven years

The development of the mine is planned in five phases: initially, extraction will take place in the northern part of Cementation 2, then the pit will expand southwest, Cementation 3 will be opened, and later the Cementation 2 and 3 pits will be extended southwards. The reserve resources in the Cementation 4 ore body will be exploited in the southeast of the deposit.

The open-pit Cementation 2 is designed for an annual production of 3.5 million tons of ore, with a planned mine life of seven years.

The Cementation 2 project has been valued with a net project value of $117 million in the best-case scenario, making it one of the most significant investments in Serbia’s mining sector in recent years.

Expansion of the waste rock dump

The total amount of waste rock expected to be generated during extraction is 61.1 million tons. For the exploitation of the Cementation 2 and 3 open-pit mines, the existing waste rock dumps of the Cementation 1 open pit will be expanded, the document states. It adds that after the expansion, the dumps will have sufficient capacity for the planned extraction, accommodating 61.9 million tons of waste rock.

Ore extraction at the Cementation 2 and 3 pits will be carried out using so-called discontinuous technology, which includes drilling, blasting, loading and transporting the ore to the primary crusher, transporting and depositing waste rock, drainage, and auxiliary works.

The project will impact the Cerova River watercourse, whose natural bed runs between the pit and access roads. Therefore, the request states that a river diversion and piping of the Cerova River bed are planned, along with the construction of a supporting embankment wall downstream, in the section of the road embankment.