Kosovo's Trepca has reserves worth 13 billion euros

Prishtina, 19 December 2007 – Kosovo’s mining complex Trepca has at least €3 billion mineral reserves more than what the estimates of the Ministry of Energy and Mining (MEM) show, reported kosovar daily Koha Ditore. These data were made public by experts of the Independent Commission for Mines and Minerals (ICMM), who referred to a feasibility study for Trepca. “The study demonstrates that Trepca has reserves worth €13 billion. But we believe they are even higher,” the member of ICMM Board, Ibush Jonuzi, was quoted as saying.

The feasibility study on Trepca has been conducted by local and international experts in June 2006. It has never been fully published because it contains data on Trepca’s internal financial matters. The paper reports that the data on Trepca’s mineral reserves, presented by MEM, some time ago, were lower, namely €10 billion.

The paper also reports on the airborne geophysical survey conducted recently by ICMM. The survey showed that Kosovo has an unexpected potential of metals and minerals. Especially gold, nickel and chrome deposits under Kosovo’s surface seem to be larger than known so far.

ECIKS / Koha Ditore