Around 650 mining permits active

TIRANA, June 4 – Some 648 mining exploration permits remain active in Albania, according to data published by the National Agency for Natural Resources. In 2012, mining companies operating in Albania carried out USD 50 million in investments, said Sokol Behaj, the director of the National Agency of Natural Resources speaking at a recent energy forum in Tirana. Currently only two companies, Albanian Chrome recently acquired by an Albanian group, and Turkey’s Beralb are involved in large-scale mining production, while others such as Canada’s Empire Mining and Tirex are engaged in mining exploration.
Latest data by the Customs Administration show some 2.4 billion lek was collected in mining royalties in the first four months of this year, up from 1.9 billion during the same period in 2012 and less than 1 billion in 2011.
Last January, Albania’s Balfin Group acquired the Albanian subsidiary of Austria-based DCM Decometal which since 2007 has been operating the Bulqiza chromium mine, the country’s biggest. The mine employs 660 people and currently has an annual output of 82,000 tonnes of the lumpy ore and fines, at a grade of 40-45% chromite.
Since 1994, when a new mining law was approved soon after the communist system collapsed, Albanian mines have been explored by private companies under mining permits and concessions.
Albania has around 390 million tonnes of unexplored oil reserves, some 3 billion m3 of natural gas, 740 million tonnes of coals, 32 million tonnes of chrome, and hundreds of tones of other iron-ore and copper reserves, proving the country’s rich mineral reserves despite the small territory it occupies. The findings are revealed in the latest mineral resources map of Albania, an updated version of 1971 and 1989 publications during the country’s communist regime.
The map features Albania’s metal and non-metallic mineral combustible materials and mineral waters in a computerized version accompanied by databases, also classifying the resources based on their importance.