Kosovo’s mining sector Before the period of hostilities during the 1990s, Rudarsko-Metalursko-Hemijski Kombinat za Olovo i Cink Trepca (Trepca) in the province of Kosovo was the country’s and the region’s largest lead and zinc mining, beneficiation, smelting and refining complex. Trepca also produced associated metals such as antimony, bismuth, cadmium, gold and silver. The other major metallurgical facility in Kosovo was Ferro-Nickel D.D. Glogovac, which was the only mine producing nickel ore and smelting ferronickel in Serbia at that time. Glogovac has reportedly been closed since 1998. Mining for bauxite was also conducted in Kosovo by AB Kosovo Klina. Trepca Mines Ltd. was established by the Selection Trust in London in 1927 and regular production started at the Stan Terg mine in 1930. The nearby lead smelter at Zvecan was commissioned in 1940. After the Second World War Trepca became a major employer with widespread business units throughout Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro. However from the early 1980s onwards Trepca began to suffer from inadequate investment, and insufficient repair and maintenance. The period of social instability, which starting in 1990 and continued until recently, led to further deterioration in Trepca’s business and its operations.
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The arrival of the Nato-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) in June 1999 also separated Trepca. In the north, the mines in the Leposavic area and the lead smelter at Zvecan continued to operate. South of Pristina, at Kizhnica and Artana (Novo Brdo), Albanian workers repossessed the mines, but were unable to restart any production due to lack of supplies, consumables and other materials. In August 2000, KFOR forced the closure of operations at the lead smelter in Zvecan for environmental reasons and all production at Trepca came to an end. Kosovo has extensive deposits of pliocene brown coal (lignite) in the Prishtinë basin. Coal is currently produced from Bardh and Mirash open cut mines and used for power generation. At least 6 billion tonnes of coal resources are estimated to exist in Kosovo. Other coal resources previously controlled by the Trepca mining conglomerate are reportedly not in operation for technical as well as legal reasons linked to the ownership of Trepca. In general the lignite mined in Kosovo was valued throughout the region for its low-sulphur content. Though several sources report that problems associated with air, soil, and water pollution by hazardous materials are widespread in Kosovo, there is a noticeable lack of data on the extent of problems.