According to data taken from the Geographic Information System (GIS), at least 34 companies in Serbia have the right to explore lithium, boron, copper, gold and silver, and most of them have licenses for several exploration fields in different parts of the country.
The map does not show the research fields where Serbia’s Zijin Mining is working, which, by buying 63% of the capital in the Bor Mining and Smelting Basin, along with the smelter and mines in Bor and Majdanpek, inherited a large part of the started research and opened new ones. Basically, that company is located in the area of that mining basin on the stretch between Bor, Majdanpek, Kučevo…
The map also does not show geological research of the coal field, which is being explored by mines and EPS according to decades-old permits. Also, the activities of NIS and Naftagas are not included, and those two companies in Vojvodina are looking for oil and natural gas in several locations.
There is no data on the GIS on the fields where the research was completed by certifying the ore reserves, which is the case with Rio Sava Exploration, a daughter company of Rio Tinto, which currently has a valid permit for groundwater exploration in the vicinity of Jadar. There is also no data on permits that have not yet been activated, such as Asena Investments, owned by the Australian Volt, which has defined its Jadar North exploration field. The wells are expected here in the fall, and they rely on the Jadar project, which was recently abolished by the Government.
What can be seen is that in Western Serbia, around Valjevo, Mionica, Ub, as well as Novi Pazar and Raska, then in the Pomoravski district, ie around Jagodina, Rekovac and Paracin, mainly lithium and pine ores are explored.
The biggest crowds are in the east and south of Serbia, because a large number of companies are opening wells in several locations in order to find gold, silver and copper. Exploration fields opened in these areas or in central Serbia, encroach on the protected nature zones – Djerdap National Park, Stara Planina, Golija, Beljanice, Radan Mountains.
Writes: danas.rs