Serbia Zijin Copper has submitted an environmental approval request for a new mining project at the Kraku Bugaresku Cerovo-Cementacija site near Bor, covering the planned exploitation of the Cementacija 2 and Cementacija 3 deposits.
The company has asked Serbia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection to approve the environmental impact assessment for the project, which is designed around annual ore production of approximately 3.5 million tonnes. The planned operation would use an open-pit mine at Cementacija 2, with the project documentation envisaging production over approximately seven years.
Mine plan includes 24.5 million tonnes of ore
At the planned production rate, the operation would extract approximately 24.5 million tonnes of ore during its nominal mine life. The project is also expected to generate around 61.1 million tonnes of waste rock, requiring an expansion of existing areas designated for waste storage. The environmental approval request moves the Cementacija development into the permitting process as Zijin continues to expand its mining activities in the Bor area.
The company has developed a major mining, processing and smelting operation in Bor through a combination of existing assets and new investment, making the city one of Serbia’s major industrial and export centres.
Cementacija adds to Bor mining expansion
The planned additional production would increase the scale of copper mining in Serbia and further expand Zijin’s activities in the country. The company is one of Serbia’s major foreign industrial investors, while its Bor operations form an important part of the country’s copper industry. The Cementacija project would add another production site to the existing mining complex and require additional infrastructure for the management and storage of waste rock.
Environmental assessment covers wider mining impacts
The project is entering the approval process amid increased attention to the environmental effects of mining expansion around Bor. Issues associated with the development of the wider mining area include cumulative environmental impacts, waste management, water, air quality and the interaction between multiple deposits and processing facilities within the mining basin.
Serbia’s Constitutional Court has previously challenged decisions related to broader mining development in the region where connected project elements were assessed separately. The Cementacija environmental approval process therefore concerns not only the individual mine development but also how its effects are assessed within the wider mining complex.
Copper project advances as supply security gains importance
The expansion is being developed against a backdrop of strong strategic importance for copper, which is a key metal for the global energy transition. European governments are increasingly focused on raw-material supply security and reducing dependence on imported resources, while Serbia’s copper industry is closely connected with European manufacturing and trading markets despite the country not being an EU member.
Higher production from Bor could strengthen Serbia’s position in regional copper supply and increase the importance of environmental compliance and traceability.
For Serbia, the expansion involves additional investment, exports and fiscal revenues, while the permitting process places environmental controls alongside the planned increase in mining output. The Cementacija project consequently represents another stage in the expansion of one of Serbia’s major mining operations, with the environmental impact assessment now forming part of the approval process.
